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Full Record for Micrograph 579
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- Micrograph no
- 579
- Brief description
- SEM image of open cell polyurethane foam
- Keywords
- cell
, composite material , foam , polymer , polymer composite foam, polyurethane (PU), thermoset - Categories
- Composite, Foam, Polymer, Polymer composite foam
- System
- Polyurethane (PU)
- Composition
- Not specified
- Standard codes
- Reaction
- Processing
- Applications
- This open celled polymer foam is a compliant space-filler, used for padding and in furniture. It may also be used as a precursor in processes such as the two-stage casting of a metal foam.
- Sample preparation
- The foam has been sputter-coated with gold, to give a conducting surface
- Technique
- Scanning electron microscopy (SEM)
- Length bar
- 800 μm
- Further information
- If a gas is injected into a liquid it forms a cellular foam structure. When a thermoset prepolymer of low viscosity is foamed, the polymer can drain from the cell walls (driven by surface tension) before it sets at the cell edges, leaving an open-celled foam. The cell edges have three concave sides, giving rise to the tri-cuspid cross section visible at the bottom of this image. The average co-ordination number for the nodes (where struts meet) is four, giving tetrahedral junctions.
- Contributor
- J A Curran
- Organisation
- Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge
- Date
- 03/10/02
- Licence for re-use
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International- Related micrographs