Abstract:
|
This work considers the preparation and characterization of polypropylene foams with
variable concentrations of graphene and carbon nanofibres, focussing on the influence
of the foaming process and the nanofillers on the microstructural and dynamic-mechanical-
thermal properties of the foams. Great differences were found in terms of foam
morphology depending on the type of foaming process, with foams prepared by physical
foaming showing a vertically deformed cell structure, while chemical foams presented
an isotropic-like cellular structure. The addition of graphene resulted in foams with
higher cell densities and more uniform cellular structures when compared to the ones
with nanofibres. All these considerations are of extreme importance, as some of
the most promising applications of these polymer foams require a good electromagnetic
interference shielding efficiency, which greatly depends on the developed foam
morphology. |