Macroporous Polymer Foams by Hydrocarbon Templating
Porous polymeric media (polymer foams) are utilized in a wide range of applications, such as thermal and mechanical insulators, solid supports for catalysis, and medical devices. A process for the production of polymer foams has been developed. This process, which is applicable to a wide range of po...
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Veröffentlicht in: | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 2000-02, Vol.97 (5), p.1970-1975 |
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Format: | Artikel |
Sprache: | eng |
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Zusammenfassung: | Porous polymeric media (polymer foams) are utilized in a wide range of applications, such as thermal and mechanical insulators, solid supports for catalysis, and medical devices. A process for the production of polymer foams has been developed. This process, which is applicable to a wide range of polymers, uses a hydrocarbon particulate phase as a template for the precipitation of the polymer phase and subsequent pore formation. The use of a hydrocarbon template allows for enhanced control over pore structure, porosity, and other structural and bulk characteristics of the polymer foam. Polymer foams with densities as low as 120 mg/cc, porosity as high as 87%, and high surface areas (20 m2/g) have been produced. Foams of poly(L-lactic acid), a biodegradable polymer, produced by this process have been used to engineer a variety of different structures, including tissues with complex geometries such as in the likeness of a human nose. |
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ISSN: | 0027-8424 1091-6490 |
DOI: | 10.1073/pnas.97.5.1970 |