Elsevier Foamability of Thermoplastic Polymeric Materials

Foamability of Thermoplastic Polymeric Materials presents a cutting-edge approach to thermoplastic polymeric foams, drawing on the latest research and guiding the reader through the fundamental science, foamability, structure-property-processing relationship, multi-phase polymeric materials, degradation characteristics of biodegradable foams and advanced applications. Sections provide detailed information on foam manufacturing technologies and the fundamental science behind foaming, present insights on the factors affecting foamability, cover ways of enhancing the foamability of various polymeric materials, with special focus on multi-phase systems, discuss the degradation of biodegradable foams and special morphology development for scaffolds, packaging, acoustic and super-insulation applications, as well as cell seeding studies in scaffolds. Each application has specific requirements in terms of desired properties. This in-depth coverage and analysis helps those looking to move forward with microcellular processing and polymer foaming. This is an ideal resource for researchers, advanced students and professionals interested in the microcellular processing of polymeric materials in the areas of polymer foaming, polymer processing, plastics engineering and materials science. Review A state-of-the-art guide on the foamability of thermoplastic polymer materials, covering fundamentals, properties, processing, degradation, and advanced applications From the Back Cover Foamability of Thermoplastic Polymeric Materials presents a cutting-edge approach to thermoplastic polymeric foams, drawing on the latest research, and guiding the reader through fundamental science, foamability, structure-property-processing relationship, multi-phase polymeric materials, degradation characteristics of biodegradable foams, and advanced applications. The book begins by introducing polymer foams and foaming, before providing detailed information on foam manufacturing technologies and the fundamental science behind foaming. The subsequent chapters provide an insight into the factors affecting foamability and ways of enhancing the foamability of various polymeric materials, with special focus on multi-phase systems. The book goes on to discuss in detail degradation of biodegradable foams, and special morphology development for scaffolds, packaging, acoustic and super-insulation applications, as well as cell seeding studies in scaffolds. Each application has specific requirements in terms of desired properties, and in-depth coverage and analysis helps those looking to move forward with microcellular processing and polymer foaming. This is an ideal resource for researchers and advanced students interested in microcellular processing of polymeric materials, and across the areas of polymer foaming, polymer processing, plastics engineering, and materials science. In an industrial setting, this book supports materials engineers, scientists, and R&D professionals looking to bring advanced polymeric foams into the market for a range of advanced applications. About the Author Professor Suprakas Sinha Ray is a Chief Research Scientist and Manager of the Centre for Nanostructures and Advanced Materials, DSI-CSIR Nanotechnology Innovation Centre, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Pretoria, South Africa. He received his PhD degree in Physical Chemistry at the University of Calcutta, India in 2001 and was a recipient of the ‘‘Sir P. C Ray Research Award’’ for the best PhD work. Prof. Ray’s current research focuses on the applications of advanced nanostructured and polymeric materials. He is one of the most active and highly cited authors in the field of polymer nanocomposite materials, and he has recently been rated by Thomson Reuters as one of the Top 1% most impactful and influential scientists and Top 50 high impact chemists. Prof. Ray is the author of 5 books, co-author of 3 edited books