Foaming Imerys minerals for uniform cell size and distribution in polymeric foam
Imerys micro-lamellar talcs make superior nucleating agents for polyolefin-based foam composites used to produce lightweight materials with improved stiffness at lower densities. Imerys ground and precipitated calcium carbonates are suitable cost-effective foaming agents for PVC and expanded polystyrene.
Talc
The high surface area of micro-lamellar talc promotes the nucleation of uniform/narrow gas bubbles during the foaming process increasing the number of foam cells and making cell distribution and growth more consistent.
Imerys talcs provide:
- A significant increase in cell density
- Fine and regular cell size
- Improved stiffness at lower densities
- Optimized lightweight materials
PP cell density increases with talc loading
We recommend our Mistrocell® range of micro-lamellar talc products or our surface treated Mistron® ZSC micro-lamellar talc for nucleating polyolefins, PS, PVC and polyurethane foams.
Calcium Carbonates
Imerys ground calcium carbonates (GCC), such as our PolCarb® and ImerCarb® grades are very cost-effective foaming agents for PVC.
Precipitated calcium carbonates (PCC) such as our Socal® and Winnofil® grades are excellent foam nucleation additives in expanded polystyrene (EPS).
We offer a full range of bespoke formulation and technical and process support services to help you match the right mineral grade to your application requirement.