Influence of nucleating agents on the foam morphology of high consistency silicone rubber

Silicone rubbers are high-performance polymers which, in the case of high consistency silicone rubber (HCR), are processed in the extrusion process, for example. Due to the relatively high material price, the material can be foamed to reduce costs and to adjust certain properties. This study therefore investigated the influence of nucleating agents on extruded high consistency silicone foams where water was used as blowing agent. The types of crosslinker investigated showed clear differences in their resulting foam structure and mechanical properties with the talcum and calcium carbonate agents used.