Porofors

the commercial name for a group of azo compounds that decompose on heating to yield nitrogen and that are used in the manufacture of foam materials. The group specifically includes 2,2’-azobisisobutyronitrile (Porofor-57), which has become widely used in industry as a blowing agent for foam plastic and cellular rubbers and also as an initiator of radical polymerization of vinyl, acrylic, and other unsaturated monomers. The term “porofor” sometimes refers to gas-generating agents in general, regardless of their chemical composition.