Zeolite filled siloxane composite foams: Compression property

In this article, mechanical behavior under compression loads of an innovative adsorbent material, based on silicone composite foams filled with SAPO 34 zeolite, is presented. The innovative composite foams were obtained profiting by the dehydrogenative coupling of siloxane constituents. These new adsorbent systems have been proposed to overcome to the low mechanical stability of conventional SAPO-34 coating for adsorption chiller. In this concern, static and cyclic compressive tests at room temperature have been carried out. Samples at increasing content of SAPO 34 zeolite were tested to evaluate the influence of the filler content on the mechanical behavior of the composite foam. The results showed that the presence of zeolite reduces the elastic limit of the foam and increases the strength. The foams evidenced also acceptable mechanical stability to cyclic compressive loads. The encouraging results confirm the possible use of these new composite foams as adsorbent materials for cyclic adsorption heat pumps.