Fine-cell PMMA foams are produced using a production process including nucleators in addition to suitable blowing agents. It was found that, surprisingly, a simple-to-produce stable PMMA foam having very fine cells and very good properties can be produced.

Fine-cell PMMA foams are produced using a production process including nucleators in addition to suitable blowing agents. It was found that, surprisingly, a simple-to-produce stable PMMA foam having very fine cells and very good properties can be produced.

A process for manufacturing a thermoset polyester foam includes the following successive steps: (a) providing an expandable and thermosetting composition containing a polyol component including at least one element selected from glycerol, diglycerol and glycerol oligomers; a polyacid component including citric acid; a surfactant selected from alkyl polyglycosides and mixtures of an anionic surfactant and a cationic surfactant, and an esterification catalyst; (b) introducing the expandable and thermosetting composition into a mold or applying the expandable composition to a support; and (c) heating the expandable and thermosetting composition at a temperature at least equal to 135 C. so as to react the polyol component with the polyacid component and form a block of thermoset polyester foam.

A process for producing a humic acid (HA)-derived foam, comprising: (a) preparing a HA dispersion having multiple HA molecules and an optional blowing agent dispersed in a liquid medium having a blowing agent-to-HA weight ratio from 0/1.0 to 1.0/1.0; (b) dispensing and depositing the HA dispersion onto a surface of a supporting substrate to form a wet HA layer; (c) partially or completely removing liquid medium from the wet HA layer to form a dried HA layer; and (d) heat treating the dried HA layer at a first heat treatment temperature from 80 C. to 3,200 C. at a desired heating rate sufficient to induce volatile gas molecules from the non-carbon elements or to activate the blowing agent for producing the HA-derived foam.

A process for producing a humic acid (HA)-derived foam, comprising: (a) preparing a HA dispersion having multiple HA molecules and an optional blowing agent dispersed in a liquid medium having a blowing agent-to-HA weight ratio from 0/1.0 to 1.0/1.0; (b) dispensing and depositing the HA dispersion onto a surface of a supporting substrate to form a wet HA layer; (c) partially or completely removing liquid medium from the wet HA layer to form a dried HA layer; and (d) heat treating the dried HA layer at a first heat treatment temperature from 80 C. to 3,200 C. at a desired heating rate sufficient to induce volatile gas molecules from the non-carbon elements or to activate the blowing agent for producing the HA-derived foam.

Porous three-dimensional networks of polyurea and porous three-dimensional networks of carbon and methods of their manufacture are described. In an example, polyurea aerogels are prepared by mixing an triisocyanate with water and a triethylamine to form a sol-gel material and supercritically drying the sol-gel material to form the polyurea aerogel. Subjecting the polyurea aerogel to a step of pyrolysis may result in a three dimensional network having a carbon skeleton, yielding a carbon aerogel. The density and morphology of polyurea aerogels can be controlled by varying the amount of isocyanate monomer in the initial reaction mixture. A lower density in the aerogel gives rise to a fibrous morphology, whereas a greater density in the aerogel results in a particulate morphology. Polyurea aerogels described herein may also exhibit a reduced flammability.

Porous three-dimensional networks of polyurea and porous three-dimensional networks of carbon and methods of their manufacture are described. In an example, polyurea aerogels are prepared by mixing an triisocyanate with water and a triethylamine to form a sol-gel material and supercritically drying the sol-gel material to form the polyurea aerogel. Subjecting the polyurea aerogel to a step of pyrolysis may result in a three dimensional network having a carbon skeleton, yielding a carbon aerogel. The density and morphology of polyurea aerogels can be controlled by varying the amount of isocyanate monomer in the initial reaction mixture. A lower density in the aerogel gives rise to a fibrous morphology, whereas a greater density in the aerogel results in a particulate morphology. Polyurea aerogels described herein may also exhibit a reduced flammability.

A method of recycling polyurethane foam scrap by recovering polyols from the polyurethane foam scrap using a glycolysis/transesterification process, reacting methylene diphenyl isocyanate (MDI) with virgin polyol and recycled polyol to make a prepolymer with recycled content, and mixing the prepolymer with recycled content with 4,4-methylenediphenyl diisocyanate, isocyanic acid, polymethylenepolyphenylene ester, and di-phenylnethane-2,4-diisocyanate to form a MDI prepolymer blend with recycled content, and using the MDI prepolymer blend with recycled content for production of polyurethane foam components having an amount of recycled polyurethane content. Optionally, the MDI prepolymer with recycled content is used during the same foam production process that generated the foam scrap used to recover the recycled polyol.

A method of recycling polyurethane foam scrap by recovering polyols from the polyurethane foam scrap using a glycolysis/transesterification process, reacting methylene diphenyl isocyanate (MDI) with virgin polyol and recycled polyol to make a prepolymer with recycled content, and mixing the prepolymer with recycled content with 4,4-methylenediphenyl diisocyanate, isocyanic acid, polymethylenepolyphenylene ester, and di-phenylnethane-2,4-diisocyanate to form a MDI prepolymer blend with recycled content, and using the MDI prepolymer blend with recycled content for production of polyurethane foam components having an amount of recycled polyurethane content. Optionally, the MDI prepolymer with recycled content is used during the same foam production process that generated the foam scrap used to recover the recycled polyol.

An embodiment includes a system comprising: an iodine containing thermoset open-cell shape memory polymer (SMP) foam that is x-ray visible; wherein (a) the SMP foam is configured to expand from a compressed secondary state to an expanded primary state in response to thermal stimulus, (b) the SMP foam is a poly(urethane-urea-amide). Other embodiments are described herein.