Silicon Modified Polyethylene as Foam Stabilizer and its Effect on Cell Structure and Mechanical Properties of Polypropylene Foam

Polypropylene (PP) foams have received tremendous attention because of its outstanding performance such as higher tensile modulus, impact resistance and excellent chemical resistance. But the poor pore structure on account of low melt strength leads to poor mechanical properties. In this work, a novel organic silicon-carbon type foam stabilizer was introduced to obtain PP foam with excellent properties. The foam stabilizer contained long carbon chain with good compatibility with the PP melt as well as -Si-O-Si- with good compatibility with the cells. Thus, the surface tension of the system was reduced. The results shown that the foam stabilizer we prepared could significantly reduce the size, size distribution and density of the cells. Besides, when 1.0 wt.% of foam stabilizer was added, the mechanical properties had also been significantly improved: the tensile strength and the elongation at break was 18.7 MPa and 499%, increased by 16.1 and 55%, respectively.

Automated summary

A novel organic silicon-carbon foam stabilizer was introduced to improve the properties of polypropylene foam. The foam stabilizer significantly reduced the size, size distribution, and density of the cells, resulting in improved mechanical properties.