Microcellular Foaming-derived Superlight Ultra-high Molecular Weight Poly(vinylidene fluoride) Foams for Outstanding Thermal Insulation Applications

Chao Wei; Jia-Long Chai; Shuai Li; Gui-Long Wang

doi:10.1007/s10118-025-3409-4

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Microcellular Foaming-derived Superlight Ultra-high Molecular Weight Poly(vinylidene fluoride) Foams for Outstanding Thermal Insulation Applications

RESEARCH ARTICLE | Updated：2025-09-26

- Microcellular Foaming-derived Superlight Ultra-high Molecular Weight Poly(vinylidene fluoride) Foams for Outstanding Thermal Insulation Applications
- Chinese Journal of Polymer Science Vol. 43, Issue 10, Pages: 1837-1849(2025)
- Affiliations：
  
  a.State key Laboratory of Advanced Equipment and Technology for Metal Forming; Shandong University, Jinan 250061, China
  b.School of Mechanical & Vehicle Engineering, Linyi University, Linyi 276005, China
  c.Key Laboratory for Liquid-Solid Structural Evolution and Processing of Materials (Ministry of Education), Shandong University, Jinan 250061, China
- Author bio：
  
  lishuai@lyu.edu.cn (S.L.)
  guilong@sdu.edu.cn (G.L.W.)
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1007/s10118-025-3409-4
  CLC：
- Received：07 May 2025，
  
  Revised：2025-06-21，
  
  Accepted：02 July 2025，
  
  Online First：10 September 2025，
  
  Published：05 October 2025
- Accepted：
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Wei, C.; Chai, J. L.; Li, S.; Wang, G. L. Microcellular foaming-derived superlight ultra-high molecular weight poly(vinylidene fluoride) foams for outstanding thermal insulation applications. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2025, 43, 1837–1849

Chao Wei, Jia-Long Chai, Shuai Li, et al. Microcellular Foaming-derived Superlight Ultra-high Molecular Weight Poly(vinylidene fluoride) Foams for Outstanding Thermal Insulation Applications[J]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2025, 43(10): 1837-1849.
Wei, C.; Chai, J. L.; Li, S.; Wang, G. L. Microcellular foaming-derived superlight ultra-high molecular weight poly(vinylidene fluoride) foams for outstanding thermal insulation applications. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2025, 43, 1837–1849 DOI： 10.1007/s10118-025-3409-4.

Chao Wei, Jia-Long Chai, Shuai Li, et al. Microcellular Foaming-derived Superlight Ultra-high Molecular Weight Poly(vinylidene fluoride) Foams for Outstanding Thermal Insulation Applications[J]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2025, 43(10): 1837-1849. DOI： 10.1007/s10118-025-3409-4.

摘要

The microcellular foams of ultra-high molecular weight poly(vinylidene fluoride) (H-PVDF) were successfully fabricated through a supercritical foaming process. The resulting H-PVDF foam exhibits a record-breaking expansion ratio of 55.6-fold

coupled with a uniformly fine and dense microcellular structure

achieving low thermal conductivity

exceptional hydrophobicity

and outstanding flame-retardancy.

Abstract

Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) foam has received widespread attention due to its high strength

and excellent combination of flame-retardancy

antibacterial performance

and chemical stability. However

the foaming ability of conventional PVDF is severely limited by its rapid crystallization kinetics and poor melt strength. Although ultra-high molecular weight PVDF (H-PVDF) theoretically offers prolonged melt elasticity favorable for foam

ing

the extremely high melt viscosity poses substantial processing challenges

and its foaming behavior has remained largely unexplored. To address these issues

this study proposes a novel fabrication strategy combining solvent casting with microcellular foaming to prepare H-PVDF foams. Dynamic mechanical analysis and differential scanning calorimetry reveal that extensive chain entanglements in H-PVDF impose constraints on crystallization and significantly enhance melt strength. By tuning the processing parameters

the distinctive foaming behavior of H-PVDF under various conditions is systematically elucidated. Remarkably

a record-high expansion ratio of 55.6-fold is achieved

accompanied by a highly uniform and fine cellular structure. The resulting H-PVDF foams exhibit a low thermal conductivity of 31.8 mW·m

–1

·K

–1

while retaining excellent compressive strength

flame-retardancy

and hydrophobicity. These outstanding properties highlight the great potential of H-PVDF foams as the thermal insulation materials for applications in aerospace

energy infrastructure

and other extreme environments.

关键词

Keywords

references

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