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Soft Materials: Synthesis, Processing and Products
Controlling sandwich-structure of PET microcellular foams using coupling of CO2 diffusion and induced crystallization
Article first published online: 20 SEP 2011
DOI: 10.1002/aic.12764
Copyright © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE)
Additional Information
How to Cite
Li, D., Liu, T., Zhao, L. and Yuan, W. (2012), Controlling sandwich-structure of PET microcellular foams using coupling of CO2 diffusion and induced crystallization. AIChE J., 58: 2512–2523. doi: 10.1002/aic.12764
Publication History
- Issue published online: 5 JUL 2012
- Article first published online: 20 SEP 2011
- Accepted manuscript online: 23 AUG 2011 04:41PM EST
- Manuscript Revised: 11 AUG 2011
- Manuscript Received: 2 JUN 2011
- Abstract
- Article
- References
- Cited By
Keywords:
- PET microcellular foams;
- CO2 diffusion;
- CO2-induced crystallization;
- coupling;
- sandwich-structure
Abstract
Controlling sandwich-structure of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) microcellular foams using coupling of CO2 diffusion and CO2-induced crystallization is presented in this article. The intrinsic kinetics of CO2-induced crystallization of amorphous PET at 25°C and different CO2 pressures were detected using in situ high-pressure Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and correlated by Avrami equation. Sorption of CO2 in PET was measured using magnetic suspension balance and the diffusivity determined by Fick's second law. A model coupling CO2 diffusion in and CO2-induced crystallization of PET was proposed to calculate the CO2 concentration as well as crystallinity distributions in PET sheet at different saturation times. It was revealed that a sandwich crystallization structure could be built in PET sheet, based on which a solid-state foaming process was used to manipulate the sandwich-structure of PET microcellular foams with two microcellular or even ultra-microcellular foamed crystalline layers outside and a microcellular foamed amorphous layer inside. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 58: 2512–2523, 2012