Effect of composition and processing parameters on the characteristics of tannin-based rigid foams. Part I: Cell structure

Tannin-based rigid foams and derived glasslike carbon foams are new, lightweight, cellular materials, prepared from 95% natural precursors. They are mainly based on bark extracts that are cross-linked with a little of formaldehyde, in the presence of furfuryl alcohol, blowing agent and acid catalyst. Their carbonaceous counterparts are obtained by pyrolysis in inert atmosphere. Various processing and composition parameters were varied, in order to observe the resultant effects on the pore structure, i.e., cell morphology, apparent density, homogeneity, and surface area. Especially, the amounts of foaming agent, strengthener and additives (nanoclay filler) were changed, and the influences of mould diameter and compression stress during foaming were investigated as well. The foams are found to be slightly orthotropic materials whose pore structure is mainly controlled by the amount of blowing agent, leading to an easily tuneable linear cell density that typically ranges from 50 to 250 pores per inch. All the other parameters have much lower influence.