Foamed Plastics

The article contains sections titled: 1. Introduction 2. Production 2.1. Principles 2.2. Blowing Agents 2.3. Additives 3. Properties 4. Specific Foamed Plastics 4.1. Commodity Polymer Foams 4.1.1. Polyolefin Foams 4.1.1.1. Low-Density Polyolefin Foams (25–250 kg/m3) 4.1.1.2. High-Density Polyolefin Foams (250–700 kg/m3) 4.1.2. Polystyrene Foams 4.1.2.1. Expandable Polystyrene Foams 4.1.2.2. Extruded Polystyrene (XPS) Foams 4.1.2.3. Structural Polystyrene Foams 4.1.3. Poly(Vinyl Chloride) Foams 4.1.3.1. Rigid PVC Foams 4.1.3.2. Flexible PVC Foams 4.1.4. Poly(Methyl Methacrylate) Foams 4.2. Technical Plastics Foams 4.2.1. Polyamide Foams 4.2.2. Polycarbonate Foams 4.2.3. Polyester Foams 4.2.3.1. Poly(Ethylene Terephthalate) Foams 4.2.3.2. Poly(Butylene Terephthalate) Foams 4.2.4. Thermoplastic Elastomer Foams 4.3. High-Temperature Plastics Foams 4.3.1. Polyimide Foams 4.3.2. Polyetherimide Foams 4.3.3. Polymethacrylimide Foams 4.3.4. Poly(Phenylene Oxide) Foams 4.3.5. Polyarylsulfone Foams 4.4. Thermoset Foams 4.4.1. Foams from Phenol–Formaldehyde Resins 4.4.2. Foams from Urea–Formaldehyde Resins 4.4.3. Foams from Melamine–Formaldehyde Resins 4.4.4. Silicone Foams 4.4.5. Epoxy Foams 4.5. Biofoams 4.5.1. Poly(Lactic Acid) Foams 4.5.2. Starch Foams 4.5.3. Bio-Polyurethane Foams 5. Testing 5.1. Mechanical Properties 5.1.1. Rigid Foams 5.1.2. Flexible Foams 5.2. Thermal Properties 5.3. Miscellaneous Properties 6. Economic Aspects and Market Share