Fabrication of low density poly(vinylcyclohexane) foams

The preparation of poly(vinylcyclohexane) (PVCH) foam has been investigated via the thermally-induced phase separation technique and the freeze-drying technique. Polystyrene was saturated using heterogeneous hydrogenation techniques to prepare PVCH. Then low density foams were successfully prepared with the cyclohexane/dioxane solvent and a series of PVCH solutions with different concentrations, by the thermally-induced phase separation technique and the freeze-drying technique. The relation between polymer concentration and foam density was analyzed. The results show that polymer concentration has a good linear relationship with the actual density of PVCH foams and there is a fixed difference between the actual density and theoretic density, thus effectual control on the density of foams