Additional Tasks of Silicone Surfactants in Flexible Slabstock Foam Production

3 Additional Tasks of Silicone Surfactants in Flexible Slabstock Foam Production 

The effect of a silicone surfactant on the burning behaviour of the polyurethane foam can be quite significant even though they normally represent less than 1 % of the plastic material. It is due to the fact that in any case the decomposition of a polyurethane foam starts at the surface. Because of the surface activity of the foam stabilisers it is easy to rationalise their enrichment on the surface and it is the surface that is the most influential part of the polymer regarding flame spread development. 

To address the question of whether the different volatility of the different PDMS chains is the main reason for this effect, an additional test with silica was carried 

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