Low-coherence reflectometry of the foamed polymer matrices

A technique of the low-coherence reflectometry was applied to characterize the structure of foamed polylactide matrices. This technique is based on the analysis of the decaying output of a low-coherence scanning interferometer with a diffusively backscattering probed sample in the object arm. Estimations of the decay rate for the interferometer output allowed us to characterize the influence of the foaming parameters on the mean transport free path of light propagation in the examined foamed matrices. It was established that foaming in the vicinity of the critical point of the plasticizing and foaming agent (carbon dioxide) leads to a smaller average size of pores in the synthesized matrices compared to the foaming parameters far from the critical point.