Lightweight investigation of long chain branching polypropylene/cellulose nanofiber composite foams

摘要

Long chain branching polypropylene (LCBPP)/cellulose nanofiber (CNF) composite foams were prepared by short shot foam injection molding method and their morphological, mechanical, and thermal properties were also investigated. The cellular structure of LCBPP/CNF composite foams was improved with weight reduction (WR) ratios increasing. The cell densities of LCBPP/CNF composite foams were dramatically increasing with WR ratios rising. More, the fine and uniform cellular structures were obtained due to the incorporation of CNF. The highest cell density, specific flexural strength, and modulus could achieved 20 x 10(3) cell/cm(2), 65 MPa/(g/cm(3)) and 2.7 GPa/(g/cm(3)), respectively. Furthermore, the specific Charpy impact strengths were also higher than the ones of solid samples. At last, the thermal insulation properties were discussed accordingly.