Influence of thermo-oxidative aging on the mechanical properties of the bead foams made of polycarbonate and polypropylene

Bead foams made from standard polymers such as expanded polystyrene (EPS) or expanded polypropylene (EPP) are widely used in everyday products. In order to expand the application window of bead foams, the industry, such as the automotive industry among others, is striving for higher-performance materials to create a lightweight material for high-temperature applications. New bead foams such as expanded polycarbonate (EPC) are emerging to offer a wider range of solutions, with thermo-mechanical properties constantly improving. EPC has excellent mechanical properties, which has been shown in our previous work. To fully understand the capabilities of a material for high-temperature applications, it is important to know what happens when it is exposed to conditions, that lead to aging. Morphological studies, as well as mechanical characterizations help to determine the properties of EPC compared to EPP. Since thermo-oxidative aging of thermoplastic foams is almost unexplored, especially in the field of bead foams, this research represents an important contribution to the understanding of material behavior and development. Time-consuming aging tests were able to confirm that EPC is not only a very thermally stable material, but also able to provide reasonable mechanical performance after aging, compared to EPP. image