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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Polymer Bead Foams: A Review on Foam Preparation, Molding, and Interbead Bonding Mechanism
ClearPolymer Bead Foams: A Review on Foam Preparation, Molding, and Inter-Bead Bonding Mechanism
This review examines the preparation, molding, and inter-bead bonding mechanisms of polymer bead foams, providing a comparative analysis of foam characteristics across distinct polymer types including expanded polypropylene, polyethylene, and polylactic acid. The authors survey traditional molding processes such as steam-chest molding and adhesive-assisted molding alongside emerging techniques like in-mold foaming and microwave sintering, discussing the multi-scale structural features that govern bead foam performance.
Enhanced Interfacial Adhesion of Polystyrene Bead Foams by Microwave Sintering for Microplastics Reduction
Researchers developed a microwave sintering method to improve the bonding between polystyrene foam beads, reducing the likelihood that the foam breaks apart and releases microplastic particles. Polystyrene foam fragmentation is a significant source of persistent microplastic pollution in aquatic environments.
Preparation and application of a polyethylene foam packaging material
This review examines the preparation, modification, and application of polyethylene foam as a packaging material, discussing its lightweight, insulating, and shock-absorbing properties alongside the environmental and recycling challenges its widespread use creates. The authors propose approaches to address sustainability concerns while maintaining the performance characteristics that make polyethylene foam central to the modern packaging industry.
Performance Characterization and Evaluation of Innovative Cement Mortars and Concretes Made with Recycled EPS
Not relevant to microplastics — this study evaluates the mechanical strength and thermal insulation performance of cement mortars and concretes that incorporate recycled expanded polystyrene (EPS) beads as aggregate, focused on construction materials.
PET foaming: development of a new class of rheological additives for improved processability
This paper describes development of rheological additives to improve PET foaming for lightweight packaging, as an alternative to hard-to-recycle foamed polystyrene. Replacing polystyrene foam with more recyclable materials is important for reducing ocean microplastic pollution from packaging waste.
Expanded beads of polyethylene moldable at low steam pressure
Researchers developed an expanded polyethylene bead foam that can be molded at very low steam pressures, making it cheaper and more flexible to manufacture than conventional expanded polystyrene (Styrofoam). Unlike polystyrene, polyethylene foam is more readily recyclable and the study explicitly notes this approach avoids contributing to microplastic pollution. This represents a step toward replacing one of the most environmentally persistent foam plastics with a more manageable alternative.
A Novel Equivalent Method for Computing Mechanical Properties of Random and Ordered Hyperelastic Cellular Materials
This engineering paper develops a computational method for predicting the mechanical properties of cellular foam materials using equivalent structural models. The study is focused on materials engineering and is unrelated to microplastic research.
“Microplastics and Polymers in Construction Materials: Sources, Fate, and Structural/Environmental Impacts”
This review synthesizes evidence that construction practices generate microplastic particles from polymer additives and recycled plastics during manufacturing, placement, and demolition, presents a sampling framework for detecting construction-derived microplastics, and compares identification methods for characterizing these particles.
Properties, Applications and Recent Developments of Cellular Solid Materials: A Review
This review covered the properties, applications, and recent developments of cellular solid materials such as foams and honeycombs, examining their mechanical characteristics, manufacturing methods, and use in engineering applications.
Polystyrene nanosized dots: structure and optical properties
Researchers dissolved commercial polystyrene (Styrofoam) in chloroform and irradiated the resulting colloid with gamma rays to produce nanoplastic dots, then characterized their structural and optical properties for use as model particles in environmental and biological studies.
Structure of soft and hard protein corona around polystyrene nanoplastics—Particle size and protein types
Researchers characterized the protein corona that forms around polystyrene nanoplastics of different sizes, finding that particle size influences which proteins bind and how tightly, with implications for nanoplastic toxicity and biological uptake.
The plastic in microplastics: A review
This review examined the chemical composition and diversity of plastics that become microplastics, summarizing the types of polymers found in the environment and their relevance for understanding ecological and health impacts.
Degradation and Recycling of Polymer Materials
This review synthesizes research on the degradation and recycling of polymer materials, covering microplastic formation, recycling strategies, and plastic degradation mechanisms as responses to the significant environmental damage caused by discarded plastics in ocean and other ecosystems.
Unveiling plastifoamcrete: Composition, characteristics, and environmental threats of urban plastic variants
Researchers identified and characterized a new urban plastic variant in Mexico City waste—'plastifoamcrete'—consisting of foamed concrete with embedded polystyrene microplastic beads formed during demolition or improper disposal. Twelve samples showed various sizes and surface pitting indicative of bead release, highlighting construction waste as an underrecognized urban source of microplastics.
Polymers Recycling: Upcycling Techniques. an Overview
This paper is not about microplastics in a research sense; it is an overview of polymer recycling and upcycling techniques, mentioning microplastic accumulation briefly as motivation but not investigating microplastics directly.
Effect of surfactant concentration on the synthesis of hydrogel microbeads using the emulsion polymerization process for acrylamide/acrylic acid copolymers
Researchers examined the effect of surfactant concentration on the synthesis of hydrogel microbeads as biodegradable replacements for the plastic microbeads commonly used in personal care and cosmetic products, optimising formulation parameters to produce spherical particles with properties suitable for exfoliant applications.
Polystyrene as Hazardous Household Waste
This chapter reviews the hazards associated with polystyrene — a petroleum-based plastic used in packaging and household products — highlighting its persistence, the toxic additives it contains, and its potential to fragment into microplastics. The authors discuss regulatory history and make the case for treating polystyrene foam as a hazardous household waste.
The Effect of Microparticles on the Storage Modulus and Durability Behavior of Magnetorheological Elastomer
This study examined how different microparticle fillers affect the mechanical properties of magnetorheological elastomers, materials that change stiffness in response to magnetic fields. While not directly about microplastics, the research explores how particle size and type influence material behavior—concepts relevant to microplastic interactions with biological tissues.
Characterization of Composites from Post-Consumer Polypropylene and Oilseed Pomace Fillers
This paper is not relevant to microplastics research; it characterizes wood-plastic composites made from recycled polypropylene and agricultural pomace fillers, evaluating mechanical properties for construction applications rather than addressing plastic pollution.
Polymers and Microplastics: Implications on Our Environment and Sustainability
This review discusses the environmental implications of polymers and microplastics, covering their properties, production trends, degradation pathways, and ecological impacts. It highlights the tension between the industrial utility of plastics and their growing threat to environmental and human health.
Weathering effects of secondary microplastics from expanded polystyrene foam on interactions with palmitic acid monolayers
Researchers generated size-fractionated microplastics and nanoplastics from photochemically weathered expanded polystyrene foam via colloidal ball-milling and found that weathered particles caused greater disruption to palmitic acid monolayers than commercial microbeads, primarily due to their colloidal stability and negative surface charge.
Fluorescent nanoplastics: What steps are needed towards a representative toolkit?
This review critically examines strategies for creating and using fluorescent nanoplastics in research, noting that commonly used commercial polystyrene beads are not representative of environmental nanoplastics. The study recommends alternative approaches for producing more realistic fluorescent model particles and provides a roadmap to help researchers select appropriate methods for their specific applications.
olYours iReview on microplastic-polymer composite interactions: Assessing contaminant adsorption, structural integrity, and environmental impacts
This review examines how microplastics interact with polymer composites, focusing on contaminant adsorption mechanisms, effects on composite structural integrity, and the broader environmental implications of plastic-pollutant interactions in ecosystems.
Recycling of Polyethylene and Polypropylene Waste to Produce Plastic Bricks
This paper is not primarily about microplastics — it tests whether recycled PE and PP plastic pellets can replace conventional materials in construction bricks, with a focus on mechanical performance rather than pollution impacts.