Characterization of the Structure, Acoustic Property, Thermal Conductivity, and Mechanical Property of Highly Expanded Open‐Cell Polycarbonate Foams

This paper studies the processing, structural, and property relationships needed for highly expanded open‐cell polycarbonate (PC) foams. Acoustic insulation, thermal conductivity, and mechanical properties of the foams were characterized. Using foam injection molding, samples expansion ratios ranging from 1 to 8 and open‐cell content up to 85% were prepared. Relative to their solid counterparts, the sound wave transmission loss was increased up to 2.5‐fold while their thermal conductivity was decreased up to fivefold. Thus, lightweight rigid PC foams, useful in both sound and thermal insulation applications, were developed.