Foam, advantages

Quick-breaking foams consist of a miscible solvent system such ethanol (qv) [64-17-5] and water, and a surfactant that is soluble in one of the solvents but not in both. These foams are advantageous for topical appHcation of pharmaceuticals because, once the foam hits the affected area, the foam coUapses, deUvering the product to the wound without further injury from mechanical dispersion. This method is especially usehil for treatment of bums. Some personal products such as nail poHsh remover and after-shave lotion have also been formulated as quick-breaking foams. 

Two advantages of foam systems over sprays (qv) are the increased control of the area to which the product is deUvered and the decreased incidence of airborne particle release. 

Blends of triaryl phosphates and pentabromodiphenyl oxide are leading flame-retardant additives for flexible urethane foams. A principal advantage is their freedom from scorch. 

The product contains 12.6% phosphoms and has an OH number in the 450 mg KOH/g range. Fyrol 6 is used to impart a permanent Class 11 E-84 flame spread rating to rigid foam for insulating walls and roofs. Particular advantages are low viscosity, stabiHty in polyol—catalyst mixtures, and outstanding humid aging resistance. Fyrol 6 is used in both spray foam, froth, pour-in-place, and slab stock. 

Nonreactive additive flame retardants dominate the flexible urethane foam field. However, auto seating appHcations exist, particularly in Europe, for a reactive polyol for flexible foams, Hoechst-Celanese ExoHt 413, a polyol mixture containing 13% P and 19.5% Cl. The patent beHeved to describe it (114) shows a reaction of ethylene oxide and a prereacted product of tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate and polyphosphoric acid. An advantage of the reactive flame retardant is avoidance of windshield fogging, which can be caused by vapors from the more volatile additive flame retardants. 

MoistureResista.nce, Plastic foams are advantageous compared to other thermal insulations in several appHcations where they are exposed to moisture pickup, particularly when subjected to a combination of thermal and moisture gradients. In some cases the foams are exposed to freeze—thaw cycles as well. The behavior of plastic foams has been studied under laboratory conditions simulating these use conditions as well as under the actual use conditions. 

Electrical Properties. CeUular polymers have two important electrical appHcations (22). One takes advantage of the combination of inherent toughness and moisture resistance of polymers along with the decreased dielectric constant and dissipation factor of the foamed state to use ceUular polymers as electrical-wire insulation (97). The other combines the low dissipation factor and the rigidity of plastic foams in the constmction of radar domes. Polyurethane foams have been used as high voltage electrical insulation (213). 

Miscellaneous Properties. The acoustical properties of polymers are altered considerably by their fabrication into a ceUular stmcture. Sound transmission is altered only slightly because it depends predominandy on the density of the barrier (in this case, the polymer phase). CeUular polymers by themselves are, therefore, very poor materials for reducing sound transmission. They are, however, quite effective in absorbing sound waves of certain frequencies (150) materials with open ceUs on the surface are particulady effective. The combination of other advantageous physical properties with fair acoustical properties has led to the use of several different types of plastic foams in sound-absorbing constmctions (215,216). The sound absorption of a number of ceUular polymers has been reported (21,150,215,217). 

Separations. Foams have important uses in separations, both physical and chemical (51,52). These processes take advantage of several different properties of foams. The buoyancy and mechanical rigidity of foam is exploited to physically separate some materials. The large volume of vapor in a foam can be exploited to filter gases. The large surface area of a foam can also be exploited in the separation of chemicals with different surface activities. 

PhenoHc MicrobaUoons appHcations in plastics take advantage of low density, porosity, and surface-to-volume ratio to produce lightweight parts. Probably the most notable example is the syntactic foam. 

Ethoxylated alcohol sulfates have several advantages over alcohol sulfates including lower sensitivity to hardness with respect to foaming and detersive effectiveness, less irritation to skin and eyes, and higher water solubiUty. 

The procedure given is applicable to many other aulfonyl chlorides as well (see Table I). Solid sulfonyl chlorides are added as such. When heavy frothing occurs in the reduction (e.g., with p-nitrobenzenesulfonyl chloride), addition of 50 ml. of chloroform to the reaction mixture will eliminate the foam without reducing the final yield. When the sulfonyl chlorides were prepared according to Meerwein and co-workers, it was found advantageous to use the crude, damp sulfonyl chlorides, since these are more easily reduced than the dried or recrystallized materials. 

Halocarbons have the further advantage of reducing the viscosity of the reaction mixture and, where used as the main blowing agent instead of the carbon dioxide produced by the isocyanate-water reaction, cheaper foams are obtained since less isocyanate is used. The reader should, however, note the comments made about the use of chlorofluoroearbons and their effect on the ozone layer made in Section 27.5.4. 

Foam Systems. The preparation, composition, and maintenance of foam completion and workover fluids is similar to that of foam drilling fluids. The advantage of foam is the combination of low density and high lifting capacity at moderate flow rates. The use of foam as a completion fluid can be justified by. 

---