Tuning cell structure and expansion ratio of thick-walled biodegradable poly(lactic acid) foams prepared using supercritical CO2

Abstract

Thick-walled poly(lactic acid) samples are foamed using supercritical carbon dioxide as physical foaming agent over a wide saturation time range using a constant-temperature mode and a wide foaming pressure range using the constant-temperature mode and a varying-temperature mode. Using the constant-temperature mode, three regions with no-celled core and two regions with cells of different diameters appear on the fractured surfaces of the foamed samples prepared at 5 and 10 min saturation times, respectively, whereas a relatively uniform cellular structure is obtained at 20–180 min saturation times. Raising the foaming pressure can improve the cellular structure uniformity. Moreover, prolonging saturation time or raising foaming pressure results in rupture of more cell walls and so formation of open-celled structure to a certain extent. Using the varying-temperature mode, a bimodal cellular structure with stamen-like cells and a trimodal cellular structure with an extraordinarily high expansion ratio (76.2) are successively achieved during raising the foaming pressure (18–22 MPa). The formation mechanisms for the bimodal and trimodal cellular structures are analyzed based on the result of the foaming pressure effect on the cellular structure in the foamed poly(lactic acid) samples prepared using the constant-temperature mode.