Foaming with Supercritical Fluids

Foaming with Supercritical Fluids, Volume Nine provides a comprehensive description of the use of supercritical fluids as blowing agents in polymer foaming. To this aim, the fundamental issues on which the proper design and control of this process are rooted are discussed in detail, with specific attention devoted to the theoretical and experimental aspects of sorption thermodynamics of a blowing agent within a polymer, the effect of the absorbed blowing agent on the thermal, interfacial and rheological properties of the expanding matter, and the phase separation of the gaseous phase, and of the related bubble nucleation and growth phenomena. Several foaming technologies based on the use of supercritical blowing agents are then described, addressing the main issues in the light of the underlying chemical-physical phenomena. - Offers strong fundamentals on polymer properties important on foaming - Outlines the use of supercritical fluids for foaming - Covers theoretical points-of-view, including foam formation of the polymer/gas solution to the setting of the final foam - Discusses the several processing technologies and applications

Ernesto Di Maio is professor of Materials Science and Technology at the Dept. of Chemical, Materials and Production Engineering of the University of Naples Federico II, Italy. His research interests are within the fields of polymer processing, composites and the physical properties of polymer/blowing agent solutions. The main focus of the scientific activity is on polymeric foams, both thermoplastic and thermosetting, on their processing technologies and the process-structure relationship, with the aim of tailoring the density and the morphology of the foams to achieve high value-added products. He is author of 90 publications on peer reviewed international journals, of 12 book chapters and of 7 International patents.