Improved cell morphology and reduced shrinkage ratio of ETPU beads by reactive blending

Thermoplastic polyurethane foam beads (ETPU) have attracted attention of researchers in recent years due to their wide use in industrial applications. In this study, a small amount of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer (ABS) was blended with TPU under the assistance of dicumyl peroxide (DCP) and maleic anhydride (MAH) to improve the cell morphology and reduce shrinkage ratio of the resulting blends. These blends were then foamed to prepare TPU/ABS blends foam beads in an autoclave using supercritical CO2 as the blowing agent at different temperatures and FTIR spectra, and rheological and foaming properties of the samples were evaluated. The melt viscosity, melt strength and elasticity of TPU/ABS were improved with the increase of the ABS content. These results were attributed to the grafting and heterogeneous nucleation points provided by the ABS. These enhanced properties were used to produce foams with better cell morphology and increased expansion ratio. Furthermore, the TPU/ABS blends foam beads showed lower shrinkage ratios with increasing ABS content. Thus, the addition of ABS is a facile method for improving the cell morphology and anti-shrinkage properties of ETPU.