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Molecular Weight of Step-Growth Polymers

Molecular Weight of Step-Growth Polymers

Step growth polymerization involves bi or multifunctional monomers. Bifunctional monomers react to form linear step growth polymers, whereas multifunctional monomers react to form non-linear or branched polymers.
As the step-growth polymerization involves step-wise condensation of monomers, the molecular weight also builds up eventually. Consequently, high molecular weight polymers are obtained at the late stages of the polymerization, where 99% of monomers have been consumed.
The extent of the...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 26, 2025

Fabrication Process of Silicone-based Dielectric Elastomer Actuators

Fabrication Process of Silicone-based Dielectric Elastomer Actuators

Published on: February 1, 2016

High Consistency Silicone Rubber Foams.

Timo Hofmann¹, Ralf-Urs Giesen¹, Hans-Peter Heim¹

¹Polymer Engineering, Institute of Material Engineering, University of Kassel, 34125 Kassel, Germany.

|May 11, 2024

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Foaming high-consistency silicone rubber with blowing agents reduces cost and weight. Chemical blowing agents yielded the lowest density, while microspheres and water/silica mixtures impacted pore structure differently, affecting mechanical properties.

Keywords:

chemical blowing agent extrusion microspheres peroxid silicone foams water

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Area of Science:

Materials Science
Polymer Chemistry

Background:

Silicone elastomers are high-performance plastics traditionally processed using high-consistency silicone rubbers.
Foaming silicone rubber during processing offers a route to reduce material cost and weight.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the effects of different physical and chemical blowing agents on the processing of high-consistency silicone rubber.
To analyze the reaction kinetics, mechanical properties, and morphology of the resulting silicone foams.

Main Methods:

Processing high-consistency silicone rubber using various physical (microspheres, water/silica mixture) and chemical blowing agents.
Investigating reaction kinetics, crosslinking behavior, and foam morphology.
Evaluating mechanical properties, including micro shore hardness.

Main Results:

Chemical blowing agents significantly influenced the crosslinking reaction compared to physical blowing agents.
The chemical blowing agent achieved the lowest density among all tested agents.
Microspheres resulted in the highest pore count, while the water/silica mixture produced the largest pores.
Blowing agent mechanisms critically impacted foam morphology and mechanical properties like micro shore hardness.

Conclusions:

The choice of blowing agent is crucial for controlling the density, pore structure, and mechanical performance of foamed silicone elastomers.
Chemical blowing agents offer advantages in density reduction, while physical blowing agents provide distinct control over foam morphology.