Biobased foam
Description
A solid foam designed using natural plant based materials. Biobased foams often mimic the cellular structure of wood. These porous, lightweight materials typically manufactured using cellulose fibers dispersed in a foaming agent or gel such as cellulose ester, or methyl cellulose. The biobased foams should be recyclable with cardboard. These cellulose foams exhibit antimicrobial properties, mechanical anisotropy, and high thermal insulation. Some alternatives are using wheat gluten for the gel formation in order to produce flame-retardant materials.
Synonyms and Related Terms
cellulose foam; biobased foam; starch foam; methyl cellulose foam
Applications
- Packaging; shipping
Risks
- Loose structural integrity with age
Physical and Chemical Properties
- Some types dissolve in water
Resources and Citations
- Miranda-Valdez, I.Y., Coffeng, S., Zhou, Y. et al. Foam-formed biocomposites based on cellulose products and lignin. Cellulose 30, 2253–2266 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10570-022-05041-3 link
- Qiong Wu, Richard L. Andersson, Tim Holgate, Eva Johansson,c Ulf W. Gedde, Richard T. Olsson and Mikael S. Hedenqvist, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2014,2, 20996-21009.link