Institut Charles Sadron Event

This thesis aims at producing model polyurethanes foams whose solidification can be controlled using an external stimulus. In a first part, we show, mainly by using rheology to measure gel times, that the addition of a photobase generator to an appropriate formulation enables the control of its solidification kinetics via the use of UV radiation. In a second part, we introduce the millifluidic setup that allows us to mix viscous formulations and to produce monodisperse foams from those blends. Finally, we investigate the use of photosensitive formulations for the production of solid foams, and the impact of the irradiation parameters on the morphology of the obtained foams. The main innovation brought by the work carried in this thesis is the use of photopolymerization to enable the production of foams with easily customizable morphologies from a unique formulation. This process, could, among other things, be used to facilitate the production of porous material with remarkable structures and the study of those materials.