Ultralight microcellular polyurethanes for the production of technical footwear components

POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006984 (LA LSRE-LCM) and UID/AGR/00690/2013 (CIMO), financed by FEDER, through POCICOMPETE2020 and FCT. Project n.º 017570 - Extra LightSafeShoe – Development of polymeric solutions for technical footwear, cofinanced by COMPETE2020 through PT2020 and FEDER.
Today's society demands lightweight and comfortable footwear products, which represents a market opportunity for the footwear industry, motivating the development of new low-density (ultralight) materials. This research is dedicated to the development of ultralight microcellular polyurethanes (PUs) with suitable properties for the production of midsoles for technical footwear. In this context, the studies performed in this work aimed at reduce the density of microcellular PUs by the incorporation of additives based on expandable thermoplastic microspheres. Samples of a base formulation were modified by the incorporation of 1, 2 and 3% of the additive. The produced materials result in PUs with densities that varied from 0.45 to 0.30 g/cm3. The performed characterization pointed out for PUs with adequate technical properties, with particular emphasis for impact absorption, which evidenced the suitability of the developed materials for the production of midsoles for ultralight safety shoes.

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