en.Wedoany.com Reported - Professor Zhang Zhenxiu's team from the School of Polymer Science and Engineering at Qingdao University of Science and Technology has independently developed an integrated "process-equipment-material" autoclave supercritical green foaming platform technology, breaking through technical barriers in the high-end elastomer foaming field and achieving domestic substitution of processes and equipment. At a recent scientific and technological achievement evaluation meeting held in Beijing, the Chinese Chemical Society organized experts to review the "Key Technology and Green Industrial Application of Polymer Autoclave Supercritical Foaming Key Technology," concluding that its key technologies and product performance have reached internationally leading levels.
Supercritical foaming is a key technology for manufacturing high-end lightweight and highly elastic materials. Traditional bead foaming processes are constrained by foreign patent barriers, making it difficult to produce ultra-low-density elastomeric products with complex shapes. The team took an innovative approach, pioneering the "small preform to large foam" autoclave-shaped preform supercritical foaming process. This involves first preparing smaller pre-shaped preforms, then placing them in an autoclave where, under supercritical fluid permeation and precise temperature and pressure control, the preforms uniformly expand into large-sized foamed products. The process is supported by a high-pressure nitrogen circulation and recovery system, increasing nitrogen recovery rates to over 90%, achieving green manufacturing and solving the production challenges of ultra-low-density, high-dimensional-precision, and uniform-cell-structure elastomeric products.
In terms of equipment, the research team independently developed a clamp-type quick-opening fully automatic supercritical foaming autoclave system, overcoming engineering challenges such as sealing under high temperature and pressure, temperature and pressure control accuracy, and operational efficiency. The pressure release rate of this equipment is six times higher than internationally advanced levels, with temperature control accuracy within the autoclave reaching ±1 degree Celsius. Its comprehensive performance is internationally leading, achieving domestic production of key high-end foaming equipment and supporting green large-scale production at the 10,000-ton level.
At the material modification level, to address issues such as cell collapse or rough morphology during foaming of special rubbers and other elastomers due to molecular chain characteristics, the team started from the molecular structure and constructed a multi-level network structure control method. This method is akin to first building flexible "small bridges" and extensible networks between rubber molecular chains, followed by reinforced weaving, allowing the material to be effectively stretched during foaming expansion without breaking or collapsing. This significantly broadens the foaming temperature window and overcomes the technical bottleneck of ultra-low-density foaming for special rubbers.
The technological achievements have been applied on a large scale in multiple enterprises. According to Zhang Zhenxiu, over the past three years, these achievements have generated cumulative new sales exceeding 2.1 billion yuan and new profits exceeding 300 million yuan for partner companies. The project has obtained 38 authorized invention patents, including 4 Japanese patents, and published 51 academic papers, establishing a comprehensive independent intellectual property system.
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