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Carbon Particulate Assisted Extrusion Foaming of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) by Controlled-Hydrolysis for Thermal Insulation Applications

Pan, Junjie, Pan
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1542054222984301

Abstract Details

2018, Master of Science, Ohio State University, Chemical Engineering.
IR-absorbing foams as roofing and external wall materials have gained considerable interest for their enhanced insulation and sustainability. However, the most widely used polystyrene (PS) foam in the insulation industry is not feasible for IR-absorbing application due to its low thermal stability. As a semi-crystalline polymer, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a desirable substitute which has excellent thermal stability and mechanical strength. Also, PET's recyclability is very important due to the severe plastic pollution. However, obtaining low-density semi-crystalline PET foam is a great challenge. Chemical modification of the PET resins such as chain extension and branching is the most widely used way to enhance its foamability. However, it inevitably reduces the crystallinity and thus leads to relatively poor mechanical and thermal properties. Herein, we developed a simple and affordable controlled-hydrolysis approach to prepare low-density PET foam with high crystallinity. The effect of the water content and type of hydrolysis agents on the foam expansion ratio, cell morphology, extent of degradation and crystallinity were investigated. Since controlled-hydrolysis kept the linear chain structure and decreased the molecular weight to an acceptable level, our PET foam has high crystallinity and thus excellent tensile strength and high thermal stability (>200 C). Based on the optimized hydrolysis conditions, both activated carbon (AC) and micrographite (mGr) were selected as the infrared attenuation agent for IR absorbing . We also investigated the influence of AC and mGr as a nucleation agent on foam density and cell morphology. By simulating the housing and vehicle roofing conditions, we successfully demonstrated the superiority of the carbon particulate containing PET foam over the PS foam for future IR-absorption roofing application.
Ly. James Lee (Advisor)
77 p.
Chemical Engineering

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Citations

  • Pan, Pan, J. (2018). Carbon Particulate Assisted Extrusion Foaming of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) by Controlled-Hydrolysis for Thermal Insulation Applications [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1542054222984301

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Pan, Pan, Junjie. Carbon Particulate Assisted Extrusion Foaming of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) by Controlled-Hydrolysis for Thermal Insulation Applications. 2018. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1542054222984301.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Pan, Pan, Junjie. "Carbon Particulate Assisted Extrusion Foaming of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) by Controlled-Hydrolysis for Thermal Insulation Applications." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1542054222984301

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1542054222984301
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This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.