Multifunctional polymer foams with carbon nanoparticles

Increasingly demanding industry requirements in terms of developing polymer-based components with higher specific properties have recently aroused a great interest around the possibility of combining density reduction through foaming with the addition of small amounts of functional nanosized particles. Particular interest has been given to the creation of lightweight conductive polymers by incorporating conductive carbon-based nanoparticles, related to processing improvements in attaining homogeneous nanoparticle dispersion and distribution throughout the polymer as well as new processes that enable a higher control and throughput of highly pure carbon nanoparticles, which could overcome some of the common problems of conductive polymers, such as high cost and poor mechanical properties. This review article considers the use of carbon nanoparticles in polymer foams, initially focusing on the important aspects of foam preparation, the main results found in the literature about conductive polymer composites containing carbon nanoparticles, as well as the main polymer foaming processes and types of foams. The main section is dedicated to the properties of multifunctional polymer foams with carbon nanoparticles, with special focus being given to the electrical and transport properties of these materials.