CROSSLINKED FOAMS HAVING HIGH HARDNESS AND LOW COMPRESSION SET

摘要

A foamable formulation composition comprises at least 50 weight percent of an ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer having a Comonomer Distribution Constant in the range of from 15 to 250; a density in the range of from 0.875 to 0.963 g/cm3; a melt index (I2) in a range of from 0.5 to 5 g/10 minutes; and long chain branching frequency in the range of from 0.05 to 3 long chain branches (LCB) per 1000 C; (2) a blowing agent; and (3) a cross link agent. The formulation may be processed to result in a foam having a density ranging from 0.05 to 0.25 g/cm3 and have properties such as split tear, compression set, and/or shrinkage percentage that are improved in comparison with otherwise-identical formulations lacking the identified ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer in comparable amount. These foams may be particularly useful for a variety of applications, including, in particular, footwear applications.