Cryogenic X-Ray Microtomography of Early-Stage Polyurethane Foaming: 3D Analysis of Cell Structure Development.

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Title: Cryogenic X-Ray Microtomography of Early-Stage Polyurethane Foaming: 3D Analysis of Cell Structure Development.
Authors: Cimavilla-Román, Paula1 (AUTHOR) paula.cimavilla@uva.es, Barroso-Solares, Suset1,2,3 (AUTHOR), Santiago-Calvo, Mercedes1,3 (AUTHOR), Rodriguez-Perez, Miguel Angel1,2 (AUTHOR)
Source: Polymers (20734360). Jan2026, Vol. 18 Issue 2, p245. 13p.
Subjects: X-ray computed microtomography, Urethane foam, Mixtures, Bubble dynamics, Cell anatomy, Rate of nucleation, Three-dimensional imaging
Abstract: Laboratory-scale cryogenic X-ray microtomography was employed for the first time to investigate the early structural evolution of polyurethane (PU) foams. This method enables ex situ studying the internal morphology of the frozen reactive mixture at various times before cell impingement. In this work, the precision of the method was evaluated by studying the early bubble formation and growth under different blowing agents and catalyst contents. It was detected that tripling the catalyst weight content doubled cell nucleation density, from 8.9 × 105 to 1.8 × 106 cells cm−3. Yet, doubling the water content has lesser impact on nucleation but leads to fast speeds of cell growth and, in turn, lower relative density at equal reaction times. Overall, it is demonstrated that laboratory cryogenic microtomography can be used to democratise the 3D investigation of the internal structure of foams which was until now only possible in synchrotron facilities. In addition, this method can help elucidate the mechanisms of nucleation and degeneration via directly measuring the density of bubbles and distance between them in the reactive mixture. Finally, this methodology could be extended to recent laboratory nanotomography systems utilizing X-ray tubes with nanometric spot sizes, thereby enabling the confident identification of nucleation events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Polymers (20734360) is the property of MDPI and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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  Data: Cryogenic X-Ray Microtomography of Early-Stage Polyurethane Foaming: 3D Analysis of Cell Structure Development.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Polymers+%2820734360%29%22">Polymers (20734360)</searchLink>. Jan2026, Vol. 18 Issue 2, p245. 13p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22X-ray+computed+microtomography%22">X-ray computed microtomography</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Urethane+foam%22">Urethane foam</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mixtures%22">Mixtures</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Bubble+dynamics%22">Bubble dynamics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cell+anatomy%22">Cell anatomy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Rate+of+nucleation%22">Rate of nucleation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Three-dimensional+imaging%22">Three-dimensional imaging</searchLink>
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  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Laboratory-scale cryogenic X-ray microtomography was employed for the first time to investigate the early structural evolution of polyurethane (PU) foams. This method enables ex situ studying the internal morphology of the frozen reactive mixture at various times before cell impingement. In this work, the precision of the method was evaluated by studying the early bubble formation and growth under different blowing agents and catalyst contents. It was detected that tripling the catalyst weight content doubled cell nucleation density, from 8.9 × 105 to 1.8 × 106 cells cm−3. Yet, doubling the water content has lesser impact on nucleation but leads to fast speeds of cell growth and, in turn, lower relative density at equal reaction times. Overall, it is demonstrated that laboratory cryogenic microtomography can be used to democratise the 3D investigation of the internal structure of foams which was until now only possible in synchrotron facilities. In addition, this method can help elucidate the mechanisms of nucleation and degeneration via directly measuring the density of bubbles and distance between them in the reactive mixture. Finally, this methodology could be extended to recent laboratory nanotomography systems utilizing X-ray tubes with nanometric spot sizes, thereby enabling the confident identification of nucleation events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Polymers (20734360) is the property of MDPI and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
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      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.3390/polym18020245
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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        PageCount: 13
        StartPage: 245
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      – SubjectFull: X-ray computed microtomography
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Urethane foam
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Mixtures
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Bubble dynamics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Cell anatomy
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Rate of nucleation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Three-dimensional imaging
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Cryogenic X-Ray Microtomography of Early-Stage Polyurethane Foaming: 3D Analysis of Cell Structure Development.
        Type: main
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          Name:
            NameFull: Cimavilla-Román, Paula
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            NameFull: Barroso-Solares, Suset
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            NameFull: Santiago-Calvo, Mercedes
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            NameFull: Rodriguez-Perez, Miguel Angel
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            – D: 15
              M: 01
              Text: Jan2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
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