High Performance Attapulgite/Polypyrrole Nanocomposite Reinforced Polystyrene (PS) Foam Based on Supercritical CO2 Foaming

CO2has been regarded as one of the most promising blowing agents for polystyrene (PS) foam due to its non-flammability, low price, nontoxicity, and eco-friendliness. However, the low solubility and fast diffusivity of CO2in PS hinder its potential applications. In this study, an attapulgite (ATP)/polypyrrole (PPy) nanocomposite was developed using the in situ polymerization method to generate the hierarchical cell texture for the PS foam based on the supercritical CO2foaming. The results demonstrated that the nanocomposite could act as an efficient CO2capturer enabling the random release of it during the foaming process. In contrast to the pure PS foam, the ATP/PPy nanocomposite reinforced PS foam is endowed with high cell density (up to 1.9 × 106) and similar thermal conductivity as the neat PS foam, as well as high compression modulus. Therefore, the in situ polymerized ATP/PPy nanocomposite makes supercritical CO2foaming desired candidate to replace the widely used fluorocarbons and chlorofluorocarbons as PS blowing agents.Keywords:supercritical CO2;polystyrene foam;blowing agent;in situ polymerization;attapulgite/polypyrrole nanocomposite