Damping element for an article of footwear

Abstract

Damping element for a footwear article (10), comprising: an injection-molded foam component (72) having an outer surface oriented toward an outward-facing side of an article of footwear (10) when the foam component (72) is disposed within the article of footwear (10), the foam component (72) comprising a foamed first thermoplastic composition comprising a first thermoplastic copolyester elastomer and having a multicellular open-cell foam structure; and a polymeric layer (74) comprising a second thermoplastic composition, wherein the polymeric layer (74) is disposed on at least a portion of the outer surface of the foam component (72); wherein the first thermoplastic composition is structurally different from the second thermoplastic composition.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONSThis application claims priority to and the benefit of co-pending U.S. provisional applications entitled "FOAM COMPOSITIONS AND USES THEREOF," having serial No. 62 / 899,688 and 62 / 899,696, both filed Sep. 12, 2019, the contents of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety.TECHNICAL FIELDThe present disclosure relates generally to foams formed from thermoplastic copolyesters, and more particularly to foams formed from thermoplastic copolyesters suitable for the footwear and related industries, and uses thereof.BACKGROUNDThe design of athletic equipment and apparel as well as footwear encompasses a variety of factors, from aesthetic aspects of comfort and haptics, to performance and durability. While design and mode can change rapidly, the demand for increasing performance on the market does not change. To accommodate these requirements, designers employ a variety of materials and designs for the various components making up athletic equipment and apparel, and footwear. U.S. Pat. No. 10,314,364 B2, U.S. Pat. No. 2018 / 0 345 575 A1 and EP 0 402 883 A2 disclose footwear articles with foam materials.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSOther aspects of the present disclosure will be readily understood upon review of the detailed description described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is an elevational view of an article of footwear having a sole component according to an aspect of the invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the sole component of the article of footwear of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a top view of the bottom of the sole component of the article of footwear of FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a bottom view of an insert for use in a sole component of an article of footwear. FIG. 5 is a top view of the insert of FIG. 4 inserted into a first portion to form a sole component. FIG. 6 shows representative compression data for representative foam sheets having a disclosed composition and made using a disclosed method. FIG. 7 shows a representative diagram illustrating a disclosed foam component or article having a second thermoplastic composition. FIG. 8 shows a representative schematic illustrating a disclosed method for determining peak and final temperatures. FIGS. 9A-9D show representative images of cross-sectional views of foam sheets made using a disclosed thermoplastic copolyester elastomer at different temperatures. Each image shows a scalar bar (500 microns). Foamed sheets were manufactured at the following temperatures: 175 degrees Celsius (FIG. 9A); FIG. 190 degrees Celsius (FIG. 9B); FIG. 205 degrees Celsius (FIG. 9C ); and 245 degrees Celsius (FIG. 9D ). FIG. 10 shows a representative image of a cross-sectional view of a foam sheet made using a disclosed thermoplastic copolyester elastomer at 160 degrees Celsius. The image shows a scalar bar (500 microns). Fig. 11 shows representative data of a friction coefficient on a wood surface for various polymer materials. Fig. 12 shows representative data of a coefficient of friction on a concrete surface for various polymer materials. Fig. 13 shows representative data of a coefficient of friction on a concrete surface for various polymer materials used in an expanded outsole. Fig. 14 shows representative specific gravity data for various polymer materials in non-foamed samples and various foamed samples.DETAILED DESCRIPTIONThe present disclosure is directed to a cushioning element according to claim 1, an article of footwear according to claim 14, and a method according to claim 15. Further developments are specified in the dependent claims.A foamed article comprises a first component, i.e. a thermoplastic foam component having in its composition a foamed first thermoplastic composition. In other words, the foamed first thermoplastic composition retains its thermoplastic properties and can be recycled by melting the foamed first thermoplastic composition and reforming the first thermoplastic composition into a new foamed article or a new solid (i.e., non-foamed) article. The first component is a foam component comprising a foamed first thermoplastic composition having a multicellular foam structure. In some aspects, the multicellular foam structure is an open-cell foam structure. In other aspects, the multi-cell foam structure is a closed-cell foam structure. In some aspects, the foamed first thermoplastic composition comprises one or more copolyesters, such as one or more copolyester elastomers. In some aspects, the first thermoplastic composition further comprises one or more non-polymeric constituents such as a filler or nucleating agent or pigment. The one or more non-polymeric constituents may comprise 5 wt % or less of the first thermoplastic composition based on the total weight of the first thermoplastic composition. It has been found that for thermoplastic foams, particularly thermoplastic foams, having in their composition at least one copolyester thermoplastic elastomer, incorporation of minor amounts (e.g., 5 wt% or less) of non-polymeric ingredients, such as, for example. Fillers, nucleating agents and pigments can improve the consistency of the sizes of the cells in the multicellular thermoplastic foam. In addition to improving cell structure, including small amounts of non-polymeric components in the first thermoplastic composition may also increase the re-usability of the first thermoplastic composition due to the high polymer content of these thermoplastic compositions. The first thermoplastic composition may be free of or substantially free of fillers. The first thermoplastic composition may be free or substantially free of nucleating agents. The first thermoplastic composition may be free or substantially free of pigments. The first thermoplastic composition may be free or substantially free of fillers and nucleating agents or may be free or substantially free of fillers, nucleating agents and pigments. The first thermoplastic composition may be free of or substantially free of non-polymeric constituents. The foamed article can be used in particular as a damping element.In some aspects, the disclosed foam article also includes a second component comprising a second thermoplastic composition. In such aspects, the second component may be disposed on or in at least a portion of the first component. The second component may comprise a polymeric layer disposed on at least a portion of an outer surface of the foamed first thermoplastic composition of the first component. The second component comprises a second thermoplastic composition that retains its thermoplastic properties and can be recycled by melting the second thermoplastic composition and reforming the second thermoplastic composition into a new foamed article or a new solid (i.e., non-foamed) article. Because both the first component and the second component are formed from thermoplastic compositions, the first and second components need not be separated prior to recycling. For example, the foam article may be recycled by grinding or shredding the entire article and forming a molten polymer composition that is a mixture of both the first thermoplastic composition and the second thermoplastic composition. The second thermoplastic composition may comprise a thermoplastic elastomer or a thermoplastic vulcanisate material. The second thermoplastic composition may comprise one or more styrene copolymer thermoplastic elastomers including styrene-ethylene-butene-styrene (SEBS) copolymer elastomers. The second thermoplastic composition may comprise one or more thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers alone or mixed with other polymers such as an ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer or a styrene copolymer elastomer. It has been found that second thermoplastic compositions comprising a thermoplastic copolyester elastomer or a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer or a styrene copolymer thermoplastic elastomer or a thermoplastic vulcanisate material form strong thermal bonds with foamed first thermoplastic compositions comprising one or more thermoplastic copolyester elastomers. The foam article disclosed herein is particularly useful as a cushioning element. The foamed article comprising the first component and the second component is particularly useful as a cushioning member for an article of footwear, apparel, or sports equipment. For example, the first component of the foam article may be a midsole or midsole component. The second component of the foam article may be a ground contacting component, such as an outsole, or a protective element, such as an edge, on an article of footwear that provides a higher level of abrasion resistance or provides better traction or both compared to the first foam component alone. The second component of the foam article may be a protective or reinforcing layer or an inclusion layer on the first foam component, for example when the first foam component is a cushioning element, or in other applications. When the first component has an open cell foam structure, in some aspects the second component may be a water resistant barrier to reduce or prevent water absorption through the open cell structure of the foam.Conventionally, vulcanized and peroxide cured natural and synthetic rubbers such as, for example. Isoprene and polybutadiene rubbers are used to form durable, abrasion resistant outer protective layers for a wide variety of articles, including outsoles for footwear articles. Rubber formulations used for outsoles typically also provide traction. A disadvantage of using conventional rubber materials is that these materials are highly crosslinked during the curing process, whereby the cured rubber becomes a thermosetting material and it becomes difficult to recycle or reuse the cured rubber. Also, it may be difficult to bond other materials to the cured rubber. Both the rubber materials and the foam materials typically used in a wide variety of consumer products are highly cross-linked materials that are separately formed and cured and then adhered together using an adhesive system. These adhesive systems require several manually intensive processing steps such as cleaning the surfaces, priming the surfaces, applying adhesive to the surfaces, and compressing the surfaces to bond them together.It has been found that thermoplastic compositions (e.g., thermoplastic compositions comprising one or more thermoplastic copolyester elastomers) can be used to form multicellular foams having advantageous properties for use in consumer articles such as cushioning elements. When foamed as described herein, these foams retain their thermoplastic properties, thereby making it possible to easily recycle and reuse the thermoplastic compositions. It has also been found that these foams can be molded and foamed directly onto other polymeric materials (i.e., onto second thermoplastic compositions as described herein), securely bonding the foam to the second thermoplastic composition with a thermal bond without the need for additional adhesives or the manual process steps of applying an adhesive system. The second thermoplastic composition that is bonded to the thermoplastic foam may be a thermoplastic elastomeric material, such as a second thermoplastic composition as described herein. Examples of both second thermoplastic compositions which have been found to, when used in either solid form or in a readily foamed form (e.g., having a specific gravity of 0.85 or greater) both bond well to the thermoplastic copolyester-based foam during a molding and foaming process and which also provide a high level of abrasion resistance and traction under wet and dry conditions are described herein. When the second thermoplastic composition comprises a second thermoplastic copolyester, the fact that the foam comprises a first thermoplastic copolyester and that the polymeric layer comprises a second thermoplastic copolyester composition offers the advantage that the entire article can be easily fused and the combined material can be easily recycled. In this scenario, the second copolyester composition may each individually comprise one or more of the same individual copolyesters present in the first thermoplastic copolyester composition, either in the same proportions or in different proportions. Alternatively, the first and second copolyester compositions may each individually comprise different copolyesters.The foam components disclosed herein are formed by foaming thermoplastic compositions comprising one or more thermoplastic elastomers into a multicellular foam having an open-cell or closed-cell foam structure. In some examples, the one or more thermoplastic elastomers may comprise or consist essentially of a copolyester thermoplastic elastomer. Examples of thermoplastic copolyester elastomers include polymers having one or more carboxylic acid units present in the polymer backbone, on one or more side chains, or in both the polymer backbone and on one or more side chains. The one or more carboxylic acid units of the thermoplastic copolyester may comprise a free carboxylic acid, a salt of a carboxylic acid, or an anhydride of a carboxylic acid. In certain examples, the carboxylic acid moiety may be an acrylic acid moiety or a methacrylic acid moiety. The foam articles comprising a multicellular open or closed cell thermoplastic foam and a polymeric layer of the present disclosure are suitable for use in a variety of articles, including athletic equipment and apparel, particularly footwear (e.g., midsoles / outsoles for athletic footwear). As discussed below, the multicellular open or closed cell thermoplastic foam has a unique balance of properties such as high energy efficiency or energy rejection and low specific gravity. In some examples, the multicellular foam also has high separation tear strength and low compression set. The presence of the polymeric layer on at least a portion of the outer surface of the foam can reduce or prevent liquid uptake by the multicellular foams, particularly multicellular open-cell foams, thereby enhancing their performance when used under conditions where the foam contacts liquids. Moreover, the thermoplastic foam can also be recycled with minimal loss of physical properties (e.g., for recycling), which is a solution to the sustainability of the materials.The second thermoplastic composition of the polymeric layer may be selected such that the entire foam article may be recycled in a single step without the need to remove or separate the polymeric layer from the foam. For example, the second thermoplastic composition may comprise one or more thermoplastic copolyesters.The foam article or component comprising the thermoplastic foam may be formed by injection molding and foaming the thermoplastic composition as described herein or by injection molding and foaming the thermoplastic composition as described herein into a foam preform and then compression molding the foam into a final foam. The second thermoplastic composition may be disposed on an outer surface of the foam component during an injection and foaming process, wherein the first thermoplastic composition is injected into a mold containing the second thermoplastic composition and the second thermoplastic composition bonds to the foam during the molding process. Alternatively or additionally, the second thermoplastic composition may be disposed on the exterior surface of the foam component during a compression molding step in which the foam component is compression molded in a mold containing the second thermoplastic composition and the second thermoplastic composition bonds to the foam during the molding process. Alternatively or additionally, the second thermoplastic composition may be disposed on the foam component after the foam component is formed, such as by vacuum forming a film comprising the second thermoplastic composition on the foam component.Articles Made Using the Disclosed Foams.An article of footwear 10 is an exemplary Athletikfußbekleidungsartikel including the thermoplastic foam of the present disclosure. While illustrated as a running shoe, footwear 10 may alternatively be configured for any suitable sporting presentation, such as baseball shoes, basketball shoes, football / global football shoes, American football shoes, running shoes, cross trainer shoes, cheer leather shoes, golf shoes, and the like. While an athletic shoe is shown by way of example in FIG. 1, it should be understood that some of the terminology used also applies to other articles of footwear or other types of footwear. The footwear 10 includes an upper 12 and a sole component 14 attached to the upper 12. The sole component 14 may be secured to the upper 12 by adhesive or other suitable means. As used herein, the sole component 14 may be a monolithic component formed entirely of the thermoplastic foam material as described herein, or a multi-component assembly formed of multiple monolithic components, wherein at least one of the monolithic components is formed entirely of the thermoplastic foam material as described herein.The footwear 10 has a medial or inner side 16 and a lateral or outer side 18. For ease of discussion, the footwear 10 may be divided into three sections: a forefoot section 20, a midfoot section 22, and a heel section 24. Rather, portions 20, 22, and 24 are intended to represent respective regions of footwear 10 that provide a frame of reference during the following discussion. Unless otherwise indicated, directional terms used herein, such as rearward, forward, upward, downward, inward, downward, upward, etc., refer to directions relative to the footwear 10 itself. The footwear 10 is shown in FIG. 1 in a substantially horizontal orientation as it would be positioned on a horizontal surface when worn by a wearer. It should be understood, however, that the footwear 10 need not be limited to such an orientation. Thus, in FIG. 1, it is rearward toward the heel portion 24 (to the right as viewed in FIG. 1), is forward toward the forefoot portion 20 (to the left as viewed in FIG. 1), and is downward as viewed in FIG. 1 toward the lower edge of the side. Top refers to elements toward the top of the view in Fig. 1, while bottom refers to elements toward the bottom of the view in Fig. 1. Inward is toward the center of the footwear 10, and outward is toward the outer peripheral edge of the footwear 10.The component may be a sole component, such as a sole component 14 depicted in FIGS. 1-5, comprising a thermoplastic foam including a thermoplastic copolyester foam as described herein. The component may be an insert, such as an insert 36 or an insert 60 depicted in FIGS. 4-5, comprising a thermoplastic foam described herein. The sole components and inserts for sole components may be formed partially or entirely from a thermoplastic foam described herein. Each part of a sole component or an insert for a sole component may be formed from a thermoplastic foam described herein. For example, a first portion 26 of the sole component (optionally including the ground engaging undersurface 44, such as the plurality of protrusions 46 and / or the groove 48 surrounding the protrusions) may comprise the entire insert 36, portions 62 or 64 of the insert 60, a separate outsole component, or any combination thereof, a thermoplastic foam as described herein. The sole components and inserts may be formed by foaming thermoplastic compositions as described herein, for example by injection molding or by injection molding, optionally followed by compression molding as described herein. In some aspects, the thermoplastic foams may be formed by physically foaming the thermoplastic compositions. The thermoplastic foams and components may have improved physical properties including one or more of improved energy efficiency or energy rejection, improved separation tearability, reduced specific gravity, or a combination thereof.The sole component 14, which is generally disposed between the wearer's foot and the ground, provides for mitigation of ground reaction forces (i.e., provides cushioning), traction, and may control foot movements such as pronation. As with conventional footwear articles, the sole component 14 may include an insole (not shown) located within the upper 12. In some aspects, the sole component is an insole or insole, or a multi-component assembly comprising an insole or insole may further comprise an insole or insole located within the upper, wherein the insole or insole is formed in whole or in part from a thermoplastic foam described herein. Footwear articles described herein may include an insole or insole formed in whole or in part of a thermoplastic foam described herein.As can be seen in Figure 2, the sole component 14 is comprised of a first portion 26 having an upper surface 27 with a depression 28 formed therein. the upper surface 27 is secured to the upper 12 with adhesive or other suitable fasteners. On the outside of the first portion 26, a plurality of substantially horizontal ribs 30 are formed. In certain aspects, the ribs 30 extend rearward from a central portion of the forefoot portion 20 on the medial side 16, along the first portion 26, around the heel portion 24, and forward on the lateral side 18 of the first portion 26, to a central portion of the forefoot portion 20.The first portion 26 provides the outer traction surface of the sole component 14. In certain aspects, it should be appreciated that a separate outsole component could be secured to the lower surface of the first portion 26. When a separate outsole component is secured to the lower surface of the first portion 26, the first portion 26 is a midsole component. In some aspects, the article is a midsole component for an article of footwear. In other aspects, the article is a combined midsole outsole component for an article of footwear.The article may be a pad. An insert 36 may be received in the recess 28. As shown in FIG. 2, the insert 36 may provide cushioning or elasticity in the sole component. The first portion 26 may provide structure and support for the insert 36. In such aspects, the first portion 26 may be formed from a material of higher specific gravity and / or hardness compared to the insert 36, such as non-foamed materials including rubber and thermoplastic polyurethane, as well as foam materials. In certain aspects, the insert 36 may be formed from a thermoplastic foam as disclosed herein.The insert 36 has a curved rear surface 38 to mate with the curved rear surface 32 of the depression 28 and a transverse front surface 40 to mate with the transverse front surface 34 of the depression 28. An upper surface 42 of the insert 36 is in contact with the top 12 and secured thereto by adhesive or other suitable fastening means. For example, if a pad 36 is present, a depression 28 may extend from the heel portion 24 to the forefoot portion 20. In certain aspects, the rear surface 32 of the depression 28 is curved to substantially follow the contour of the rear of the heel portion 24, and the front surface 34 of the depression 28 extends across the first portion 26.As best seen in FIG. 3, the bottom ground engaging surface 44 of the first portion 26 includes a plurality of protrusions 46. Each projection 46 is surrounded by a groove 48. Formed in the bottom surface 44 are a plurality of transverse slots 50 which extend between adjacent projections 46. A longitudinal slot 52 extends along the lower surface 44 from the heel portion 26 to the forefoot portion 20.FIGS. 4 and 5 show bottom and top views of an insert 60 that may be used in a sole component as described herein. The insert 60 is similar to the insert 36, but as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the insert 60 is formed from two types of materials 62 and 64, with at least one of the materials being a thermoplastic foam as disclosed herein. FIG. 4 shows a bottom view of the insert 60, while FIG. 5 shows a top view of the insert 60 formed from two types of materials 62 and 64, wherein the insert is placed in a first portion 66 to form a sole component 14. Liners having more than two types of materials may also be used, at least one of which is a thermoplastic foam as disclosed herein. In the example illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, a portion of a first material 62 may be used in the heel region of the insole and a portion of a second material 64 may be used in the toe region of the insole. A higher specific gravity material may be used to support the heel region, while a lower specific gravity material may be used to support the toe region. For example, the specific gravity of the first material may be at least 0.02 units greater than the specific gravity of the second material. The shape of the portions of the two materials 62 and 64 of the insert may be any suitable shape. For example, the heel region can be wedge-shaped. Liners formed from two types of materials may be useful in both running shoes and basketball shoes.In the articles comprising the foam articles or components comprising the thermoplastic foam, for example a thermoplastic copolyester foam having an open cell structure, and the layer of a second thermoplastic composition disposed on at least a portion of an outer surface of the foam described herein. Referring to FIG. 7, in one aspect, a foam component 70 may include a foam portion 72 including a polymeric material including a thermoplastic multi-cell copolyester foam having an open-cell or closed-cell foam structure. The foam portion 72 has one or more sides that, when the foam component 70 is disposed in an article, such as an article of footwear, are oriented toward an outward side or surface of the article (e.g., an outer perimeter edge of the article of footwear 10 of FIG. 1 ). A polymeric layer 74 is disposed on at least a portion of an outward facing side or surface of the foam portion 72. The polymeric layer 74 comprises a second thermoplastic composition, which may be the same as or different from the first thermoplastic composition of the foam portion 72. In aspects, the polymeric layer 74 is not a foamed material. The polymeric layer 74 may function as, for example, an outsole that may provide improved abrasion resistance on one or more surfaces of the foam portion 72.In some aspects, the article may be other than a sole component. For example, the article may be a top part or a top part component. An upper component refers to a piece that is sewn or otherwise joined to one or more other pieces to form an upper portion for an article of footwear. The materials in the top generally contribute to properties such as breathability, conformability, weight and suppleness or softness. A lower component refers to a piece that is joined to one or more other pieces to form the lower portion of an article of footwear. The lower part can comprise, for example, the outsole and the midsole. The choice of outsole materials and designs contributes, for example, to durability, traction, and pressure distribution during use. Midsole materials and design contribute factors such as cushioning and support. Abrasive components include any additional components that can be attached to the top, bottom, or both. Abrasive components may include, for example, loops, toe caps, stems, nails, laces, hook and loop fasteners, fasteners, bases, liners, upholstery, heel bases, heel pads, toe caps, etc.The upper part may be a strip-laid upper part. A "last-worn upper" as used herein refers to an upper that is formed into the shoe shape by one or more mechanical means prior to attachment to the sole. The last-struck upper may have a heel cap shaped to form the heel of the upper. The inguinal upper may comprise a strobel or strobel board which is attached to the upper typically by a strobel seam.While the thermoplastic foams described herein, including the thermoplastic copolyester foams described herein, can be used to produce a variety of components, including a variety of components for an article of footwear, in certain aspects the components include a midsole, an outsole, an insole, or an insert. Additional articles may include tongue cushioning, collar cushioning, and a combination thereof. As described above and described in more detail below, the articles comprising the thermoplastic foams described herein can have a unique balance of advantageous physical properties, such as high energy efficiency or energy rejection and low specific gravity. In addition, the thermoplastic foam can also be re-processed with minimal loss of physical properties (e.g., for recycling), which provides a solution to the sustainability of materials.In some instances, a disclosed article may include a first component comprising a foamed thermoplastic composition, such as a foamed thermoplastic copolyester composition, and a second component comprising a second thermoplastic composition. An article comprising the first component having the second thermoplastic composition may be characterized by a good bond strength between the second thermoplastic composition and the foam component. The ply adhesion strength between the second thermoplastic composition and the foam component is greater than 2.5 kg force / centimeter or greater than 3.0 kg force / centimeter when determined using the ply adhesion test method described herein.First ComponentsThe first component is a foam component comprising a thermoplastic composition comprising one or more thermoplastic elastomers. In one aspect, the thermoplastic composition is a thermoplastic copolyester composition comprising one or more thermoplastic copolyester elastomers. The first component may be a component such as, but not limited to, a midsole component or a midsole component. It will be understood that the first component comprises a foamed thermoplastic composition. For example, a thermoplastic composition contains at least 90 wt %, or at least 95 wt %, or at least 99 wt % of thermoplastic polymers, such as the thermoplastic copolyester disclosed herein, based on the total weight of the thermoplastic composition. In some instances, the polymer component of the thermoplastic composition comprising all polymers present in the thermoplastic composition comprises or consists essentially of one or more thermoplastic elastomers, such as one or more of the disclosed thermoplastic copolyester elastomers. In other words, the only polymers present in the thermoplastic composition may be thermoplastic elastomers, or the only polymers present in the thermoplastic composition may be thermoplastic copolyester elastomers.second componentsThe second component comprising a second thermoplastic composition may be, but is not limited to, a component such as an outsole or outsole component component. It will be appreciated that the second component may be foamed, partially foamed, or substantially non-foamed. In some cases, the second component is a foamed component, i.e., a second foam component. In other cases, the second component is an non-foamed component, i.e., a solid component. In some cases, the second thermoplastic composition is a disclosed thermoplastic composition, such as a thermoplastic copolyester composition. For example, a second thermoplastic composition may contain at least 90 wt %, or at least 95 wt %, or at least 99 wt % of thermoplastic elastomers as disclosed herein based on the total weight of the second thermoplastic composition. In some instances, the second thermoplastic composition comprises a polymeric component consisting essentially of one or more disclosed thermoplastic elastomers, including one or more disclosed copolyester elastomers. In other instances, the second thermoplastic composition may comprise a polymeric component substantially free of a thermoplastic copolyester, e.g., the polymeric component may consist essentially of a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer or thermoplastic vulcanizate material, as disclosed herein. In still other instances, a second thermoplastic composition may include a blend of a disclosed thermoplastic copolyester and a polymeric material other than a disclosed thermoplastic copolyester, e.g., a thermoplastic elastomer or thermoplastic vulcanizate material.Properties of thermoplastic copolyester foam components.As discussed above, a first component may be a foam component, i.e., a first foam component having a disclosed first thermoplastic composition. In some cases, a second component may be a foam component, i.e., a second foam component having a disclosed second thermoplastic composition. That is, each of the first or second foam components may independently comprise a disclosed thermoplastic foam component. It will be understood throughout that reference to a "thermoplastic foam" includes a first foam component, a second component, or both a first and a second foam component, and that each of the first and second foam components may independently have one or more disclosed thermoplastic compositions as disclosed herein below. A disclosed thermoplastic foam may have various advantageous properties.For example, the thermoplastic foam may have an advantageous tear separation resistance, for example a high tear separation resistance for a sole component in an article of footwear. In some aspects, the thermoplastic foam may have a tear separation value of greater than about 1.5 kilograms / centimeter (kg / cm), or greater than about 2.0 kg / cm, or greater than about 25 kg / cm when determined using the tear separation test method described herein. In some aspects, the thermoplastic foam may comprise about 1.0 kg / cm to 4.5 kg / cm, about 1.5 kg / cm to 4.0 kg / cm, about 2.0 kg / cm to 4.0 kg / cm, about 2.0 kg / cm to 3.5 kg / cm, or about 2.5 kg / cm to 3.5 kg / cm when determined using the tear separation test method described herein. In some aspects, the thermoplastic foam is injection molded or injection molded and then compression molded in a separate mold having different dimensions than the mold used in the injection molding step. The thermoplastic foam may have a separation tear strength of about 0.08 kg / cm to 4.0 kg / cm, about 0.9 kg / cm to 3.0 kg / cm, about 1.0 to 2.0 kg / cm, about 1.0 kg / cm to 1.5 kg / cm, or about 2 kg / cm. In some aspects, the thermoplastic foam is injection molded and has a separation tear strength of about 0.07 kg / cm to 2.0 kg / cm, or about 0.8 kg / cm to 1.5 kg / cm, or about 0.9 to 1.2 kg / cm, about 1.5 kg / cm to 2.2 kg / cm.The specific gravity of a disclosed thermoplastic foam is also an important physical property to be taken into account when using a foam for an article of footwear or athletic equipment. As discussed above, the thermoplastic foam of the present disclosure has a specific low weight, which advantageously reduces the weight of midsoles or other components containing the thermoplastic foam. The thermoplastic foams of the present disclosure may have a specific gravity of from 0.02 to 0.22, or from 0.03 to 0.12, or from 0.04 to 0.10, or from 0.11 to 0.12, or from 0.10 to 0.12, from 0.15 to 0.2; 0.15 to 0.30, when determined using the specific gravity test method described herein. Alternatively or additionally, the thermoplastic foam may have a specific gravity of from 0.01 to 0.10, or from 0.02 to 0.08, or from 0.03 to 0.06; 0.08 to 0.15; or from 0.10 to 0.12 when determined using the specific gravity test method described herein. For example, the specific gravity of the thermoplastic foam may be 0.15 to 0.20 or 0.10 to 0.12. The thermoplastic foam may be injection molded or injection molded and subsequently compression molded. In some aspects, the thermoplastic foam has a specific gravity of about 0.7 or less, or 0.5 or less, or 0.4 or less, or 0.3 or less when determined using the specific gravity test method described herein. In some aspects, the thermoplastic foam, including thermoplastic foam present in midsoles and midsole components, can have a specific gravity of about 0.05 to 0.25, about 0.05 to 0.2, about 0.05 to 0.15, about 0.08 to 0.15, about 0.08 to 0.20, about 0.08 to 0.25, or about 0.1 to 0.15 when determined using the specific gravity test method described herein. In some aspects, the thermoplastic foam has a specific gravity of about 0.15 to 0.3, about 0.2 to 0.35, or about 0.15 to 0.25 when determined using the specific gravity test method described herein.In a particular example, the first component is a cushioning element for an article of footwear, and the thermoplastic foam of the first component has a specific gravity of from 0.05 to 0.25, or from 0.17 to 0.22, or from 0.18 to 0.20 when determined using the specific gravity test method described herein. The thermoplastic foam may be a physically foamed thermoplastic foam, such as a physically foamed thermoplastic foam formed using a single phase supercritical fluid solution and a thermoplastic composition described herein. The thermoplastic composition may be a thermoplastic copolyester composition comprising one or more thermoplastic copolyester elastomers.The thermoplastic foam portion of the article or component of an article may have a stiffness of about 200 kPa to about 1000 kPa, or about 300 to about 900 kPa, or about 400 to about 800 kPa, or about 500 to about 700 kPa when determined using the cyclic compression test with the 45 mm diameter cylindrical sample. The thermoplastic foam portion of the article or component of an article may have a stiffness of about 200 kPa to about 1000 kPa, or about 300 to about 900 kPa, or about 400 to about 800 kPa, or about 500 to about 700 kPa when determined using the cyclic compression test with the footform sample. The thermoplastic foam article or article component may be formed by injection molding or by injection molding and subsequent compression molding.The thermoplastic foam portion of the article or component of an article or article of an article may have an Asker C durometer hardness of from about 30 to about 50, or from about 35 to about 45, or from about 30 to about 45, or from about 30 to about 40, when determined using the durometer hardness test described hereinThe energy input of a foam is the integral of the force-displacement curve during the loading of the foam during the cyclic compression test. The energy rejection of a foam is the integral of the force-displacement curve during the relief of the foam during the cyclic compression test. The thermoplastic foam portion of the article or component of an article may have an energy return of from about 200 millijoules (mJ) to about 1200 mJ, or from about 400 mJ to about 1000 mJ, or from about 600 mJ to about 800 mJ when determined using the cyclic compression test with a 45 mm diameter cylindrical sample.The energy efficiency, a measure of the energy percentage that the thermoplastic foam portion of the article or component returns when released after being compressed under load, may provide improved performance for athletic shoes, e.g., to reduce energy loss or dissipation during running. This applies in particular to running shoes and other athletic shoes. In some aspects, the thermoplastic foam portion of the articles and components provided herein has an energy efficiency of about 50 percent to 97 percent, about 60 percent to 95 percent, about 60 percent to 90 percent, about 60 percent to 85 percent, about 65 percent to 85 percent, or about 70 percent to 85 percent when determined using the cyclic compression test with a 45 mm diameter cylindrical sample.By modifying the conditions and components used to form the foams, one or more properties of the foam may be modified. When the foam is the physically foamed product of a single phase solution of a supercritical fluid and the first thermoplastic composition in a molten state, the resulting foam may have a reduced specific gravity as well as high energy efficiency or energy return in one aspect. In one aspect, additives such as nucleating agents and fillers are not used or are used in minor amounts, as it has been found that the use of non-polymeric ingredients can reduce the consistency of the size of the cells in the multicellular foam, especially when thermoplastic copolyester compositions are foamed. In addition, the inclusion of larger amounts of non-polymeric additives such as fillers, nucleating agents and pigments can make the foam recycling more difficult.In other aspects, the temperature at which the molten first thermoplastic composition is foamed may modify the properties of the foam. In one aspect, the foaming temperature of the thermoplastic composition, i.e., the temperature of the thermoplastic composition at the point at which foaming begins, ranges from about the melting temperature of the thermoplastic composition to about 50 degrees Celsius, or about 40 degrees Celsius, or about 30 degrees Celsius, or about 20 degrees Celsius above the final temperature of the thermoplastic composition. Alternatively, the foaming temperature may be from the crystallization temperature of the thermoplastic composition to about 50 degrees Celsius, or about 40 degrees Celsius, or about 30 degrees Celsius, or about 20 degrees Celsius above the crystallization temperature of the thermoplastic composition. The melting temperature, final temperature and crystallization temperature of the thermoplastic composition can be determined using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). In this aspect, properties such as reduced specific gravity, consistent foam cell size, and / or high energy efficiency or energy rejection can be achieved, particularly when foaming thermoplastic copolyester compositions.The resulting foams may have a multicellular closed cell or open cell foam structure. Cells are the hollow structures formed during the foaming process in which bubbles are formed in the polymeric material by the blowing agents. Cell walls are generally defined by the polymeric material. The cells may be fully enclosed by the polymeric material, or they may be at least partially open, e.g., connected to one or more adjacent cells. "closed cell" structures refer to structures in which at least 60 percent or more of the cells are closed cells, or at least 80 percent of the cells are closed cells, or at least 90 percent of the cells are closed cells, or at least 95 percent of the cells are closed cells. As described herein, "open cell" structures refer to foam structures in which less than about 15 percent or less than about 10 percent or 5 percent or less than 4 percent or less than 3 percent or less than 1 percent of the cells are closed cells.The disclosed thermoplastic foams may have an average cell diameter of from about 50 micrometers to about 1000 micrometers, or from about 80 micrometers to about 800 micrometers, or from about 100 micrometers to about 500 micrometers. The disclosed thermoplastic foams may have an average cell diameter of from about 50 micrometers to about 500 micrometers, or from about 70 micrometers to about 300 micrometers, or from about 80 micrometers to about 200 micrometers, or from about 50 micrometers to about 200 micrometers.The proportion of cells in the foam having an average cell diameter of from about 50 micrometers to about 300 micrometers is preferably not less than 40 percent relative to all cells, or not less than 50 percent or not less than 60 percent relative to all cells. If the cell fraction is less than 40 percent, the cell structure will tend to be nonuniform and / or have a coarse cell structure. As used herein, a "coarse cell structure" refers to a foam structure in which the average cell diameter is greater than 1 millimeter and / or, for more than 20 percent of the cells, does not cross a 1 millimeter line drawn across the largest dimension of the cell, a cell wall or strut (i.e., an open cell wall or portion thereof).The number of open cells and / or closed cells and cell diameters of the cells of the foam can be determined visually, for example, by capturing an image of a cut surface with a camera or a digital microscope, determining the number of cells, number of open cells and / or number of closed cells, and determining the average cell diameters of a cross section of a sample of the foam. For cells of a closed-cell foam, the diameters are determined from cell wall to cell wall. For cells of an open cell foam, the diameters are determined between planes formed by the intersections of support struts between cells (i.e., an open cell wall or a portion thereof). In one aspect, a portion of the foam may be cut and the cells in the cross-sectional area may be visually observed under a microscope or by software to determine the percentage of cells within a range that is open or closed and to determine the average size of the cells. In one aspect, a sample from a region of the foam article representing from about 75 percent to about 100 percent of the maximum thickness of the foam article can be used to determine the type and size of the cells.Methods for Making Disclosed Foams.In some examples, the disclosed foams may be prepared by various methods as disclosed herein and known in the art. That is, disclosed articles or components of articles such as midsoles, midsole components, liners, and liner components can be prepared by injection molding a melt composition comprising a first thermoplastic composition as described herein using a physical propellant and / or a chemical propellant. A disclosed foam component, e.g., a disclosed first foam component or a disclosed second foam component, may be prepared by the methods disclosed herein below.Disclosed herein are methods of forming a foam article or component, the method comprising: forming a mixture of a molten first thermoplastic composition and a blowing agent, wherein the first thermoplastic composition comprises a disclosed thermoplastic elastomer; injecting the mixture into a mold cavity; foaming the molten first thermoplastic composition, thereby forming a foamed molten first thermoplastic composition; solidifying the foamed molten first thermoplastic composition, thereby forming a foam article having a multicellular foam structure; and removing the foam article from the mold cavity. In one aspect, the first thermoplastic composition is a first thermoplastic copolyester composition comprising a disclosed thermoplastic copolyester elastomer, and the multicellular foam structure is an open celled multicellular foam structure.Also disclosed are methods of forming a foam article or component, the method comprising: forming a mixture of a molten first thermoplastic composition and a blowing agent, wherein the first thermoplastic composition comprises a disclosed thermoplastic elastomer; injecting the mixture into a mold cavity; foaming the molten first thermoplastic composition, thereby forming a foamed molten first thermoplastic composition; solidifying the foamed molten first thermoplastic composition, thereby forming a foam article having a multicellular foam structure; and removing the foam article from the mold cavity; wherein the mixture has an injection temperature during the injection; and wherein the injection temperature is from about the melting temperature of the thermoplastic elastomer to about 50 degrees Celsius above the final temperature of the thermoplastic composition. In one aspect, the first thermoplastic composition is a first thermoplastic copolyester composition comprising a disclosed thermoplastic copolyester elastomer, and the multi-cellular foam structure is an open-cell multi-cellular foam structure.Also disclosed are methods of forming a foam article or component, the method comprising: forming a mixture of a molten first thermoplastic composition and a blowing agent, wherein the first thermoplastic composition comprises a disclosed thermoplastic elastomer; injecting the mixture into a mold cavity; foaming the molten first thermoplastic composition, thereby forming a foamed molten first thermoplastic composition; solidifying the foamed molten first thermoplastic composition, thereby forming a foam article having a multicellular foam structure; and removing the foam article from the mold cavity; wherein the foaming occurs at a foaming temperature; and wherein the foaming temperature is from about the melting temperature of the thermoplastic elastomer to about 50 degrees Celsius above the final temperature of the thermoplastic elastomer. In one aspect, the first thermoplastic composition is a first thermoplastic copolyester composition comprising a disclosed thermoplastic copolyester elastomer, and the multi-cellular foam structure is an open-cell multi-cellular foam structure.Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is used to determine the melting temperature, final temperature and crystallization temperature of a thermoplastic elastomer, and an exemplary method is described below. Briefly, 10-30 mg pieces of undried resin pellets are subjected to a cycle of -90 degrees Celsius to 225 degrees Celsius at 20 degrees Celsius / min and cooled to 90° C. at 10° C. / min. In some cases, experiments are performed using a heating-cooling-heating profile with a ramp rate of 10 degrees Celsius per minute, a minimum temperature of 0 degrees Celsius, and a maximum temperature of 250 degrees Celsius. Analyses should be determined twice and averaged. The melting temperature and crystallization temperature values are recorded. The melting peak and the crystallization peak are identified as the local maximum of melting and crystallization, respectively. If there is more than one peak in the DSC curve, the peak occurring at higher temperatures is chosen as the temperature reference. The end is identified as the intersection of the tangent of the line of the high temperature side of the peak with the extrapolated baseline. A scheme illustrating the method for determining the peak and final melting temperatures is shown in Figure 8.For example, the disclosed foamed first thermoplastic compositions may be prepared using a suitable extruder. An extruder (e.g., single or twin screw) may be used to provide a composition. The extruder may include a motor to rotate a screw within the extruder. The extruder may be a single screw or a twin screw formed from individual elements of various sizes and pitches suitable for mixing or kneading the specific materials used. In some examples, the extruder includes a twin screw.The various components forming the first thermoplastic composition used to form the thermoplastic foam of the various examples described herein are added to the extruder through one or more orifices. The various components may be added as a melt or as solid particles of suitable size, for example chips or pellets, which are melted in sections when mixed in the barrel of the extruder. The contents of the extruder may be heated to melt the composition. A supercritical fluid can be added to the melt as a physical blowing agent. In certain examples, the thermoplastic foam is prepared using a physical blowing agent that foams the thermoplastic composition after the pressure has dropped to a level at which the supercritical fluid phase transitions to a gas, such as after exiting the extruder, and the thermoplastic foam is thus substantially free of a chemical blowing agent or a decomposition product thereof.The compositions may be added as a melt at a temperature near the melting temperature of the first thermoplastic composition.If a chemical blowing agent is used, the processing temperature within the extruder used may be sufficiently below the temperature that the blowing agent would trigger. To foam the first thermoplastic composition, the temperature near the exit of the extruder or within the barrel of the injector may be increased to heat the thermoplastic composition to a temperature near or at the initiation temperature of a chemical blowing agent, thereby producing a chemically foamed thermoplastic foam as the composition exits the extruder (e.g., as the composition is injected into an injection mold).Alternatively or additionally, a physical foaming agent may be used to foam the composition to form a physically foamed thermoplastic foam or a physically and chemically foamed thermoplastic foam. For example, a supercritical fluid, such as supercritical carbon dioxide or supercritical nitrogen, can be mixed with the molten first thermoplastic composition in the barrel of the extruder to form a single phase solution. As used herein, "single phase" refers to a composition in which two or more components are present, with no detectable phase separation between the components. For example, when a supercritical fluid is mixed with a molten first thermoplastic composition, the resulting composition is a homogeneous solution in which droplets of the supercritical fluid are not detected. As the single phase solution exits the extruder or injector, the pressure drop between the higher pressure in the extruder or injector and the lower pressure outside the extruder or injector causes the supercritical fluid to transition to the gas phase and foam the first thermoplastic composition.Various examples include methods of manufacturing an article of footwear or components for an article of footwear. In some examples, the methods of making an article of footwear include injection molding a first thermoplastic composition to form a thermoplastic foam described herein to produce an article of foam or a component of an article, such as an article of footwear. The article or component of an article may be a midsole or component of a midsole, and the method may comprise providing an upper and an outsole to an article of footwear; and combining the midsole or midsole component, the upper and the outsole to produce an article of footwear. In some examples, the method of manufacturing the article of footwear includes combining an article comprising a thermoplastic foam and an upper to form an article of footwear.The articles or components of articles such as midsoles, midsole components, liners, and liner components can be prepared by injection molding a molten first thermoplastic composition described herein using a physical propellant. In injection molding, a screw injector may be used that allows the pressure in the injector barrel to be maintained and controlled. The injection molding machine may allow metering and feeding a supercritical fluid, such as supercritical carbon dioxide or nitrogen, into the composition prior to injection. The supercritical fluid may be blended into the first thermoplastic composition within the injection cylinder to form a single phase solution and then the single phase solution may be injected into the mold cavity. A pressure drop within the mold cavity may cause the supercritical fluid to expand to create nuclei and the cells to expand to form the foam within the mold cavity. The injection molding system used to form the thermoplastic foam may include a physical foaming process, such as the "MUCELL" process (Trexel, Wilmington, DE, USA).The thermoplastic foams described herein may be formed using a process that includes impregnating a first thermoplastic composition (e.g., at or above a softening temperature of the composition) with a physical blowing agent at a first concentration or pressure. As used herein, the term "impregnating" generally means dissolving or suspending a physical propellant in a first thermoplastic composition. The impregnated first thermoplastic composition may then be foamed or may (if appropriate) be cooled and (if appropriate) softened again for foaming at a later time. In certain examples, the impregnated first thermoplastic composition is a single phase solution comprising supercritical carbon dioxide or nitrogen and the molten thermoplastic composition.The impregnated first thermoplastic composition is foamed by reducing the solubility of the physical blowing agent in the single phase solution by changes in pressure or temperature. The reduction in the solubility of the physical blowing agent may release additional amounts (e.g., to produce secondary expansion of an originally formed foam) of the impregnated physical blowing agent from the first thermoplastic composition to further foam the first thermoplastic composition, thereby forming a thermoplastic foam having a multicellular foam structure.In addition to injection molding, the thermoplastic foam of the present disclosure may be foamed and molded using various methods known in the art. For example, the thermoplastic foam can be formed into sheet foam, filament or extruded foams, particulate (e.g., beads) foams of various shapes and sizes, etc. These different foam molds can then be used in different ways. For example, slabstock foam and filament or extruded foam such as injection molded foam may be used directly as a finished foam article or may be molded (e.g., cut, polished, or trimmed) to form a finished foam article or may be compression molded to form a finished foam article. Optionally, the thermoplastic foam may be subjected to annealing processes as part of forming the finished foam article. Pellets of the compositions may be used to form individual particulate thermoplastic foams or they may be foamed and molded to form unitary molded foam articles consisting of individual foam sections attached together.The thermoplastic foams of the various examples described herein may be further molded or modeled by any of the methods known to form articles from thermoplastic materials. Optionally, the thermoplastic foams of the present disclosure foamed using any suitable foaming process (e.g., foaming using a physical and / or chemical blowing agent), including by injection molding using only one physical blowing agent, may then be compression molded to form a compression molded foam.The thermoplastic foam of the present disclosure may be prepared by a process comprising (i) softening a first thermoplastic composition (e.g., by heating at a first temperature at or above a softening temperature of the composition); (ii) simultaneously or sequentially with the softening (if applicable), contacting the first thermoplastic composition with a first concentration or pressure of a physical blowing agent sufficient to drive an amount of the physical blowing agent into the first thermoplastic composition or combine the physical blowing agents with the first thermoplastic composition; (iii) changing the concentration or pressure (e.g., reducing the pressure or concentration) of the physical foaming agent to a second concentration or pressure effective to foam the first thermoplastic composition, thereby forming a thermoplastic foam (e.g., a thermoplastic foam having a multicellular structure); and (iv) after the changing, cooling (if appropriate) the thermoplastic foam to (e.g., cooling to a temperature below the softening temperature of the composition) to form a consolidated thermoplastic foam.The thermoplastic foam of the present disclosure may be prepared by (i) contacting (e.g., dissolving or suspending) the first thermoplastic composition with a first concentration of a chemical blowing agent, in some examples at or above a softening temperature of the first thermoplastic composition, (ii) causing the chemical blowing agent to foam the first thermoplastic composition, thereby forming a thermoplastic foam (e.g., a thermoplastic foam having a multicellular structure); and (iii) after causing, in some examples, cooling the thermoplastic foam to, e.g., a temperature below its softening temperature, to form a consolidated thermoplastic foam. In some examples, the "triggering" of the chemical blowing agent is performed by any suitable method, including heating the composition having a concentration of the chemical blowing agent to a temperature sufficient to "trigger" the chemical blowing agent, the concentration of the chemical blowing agent effective to foam the first thermoplastic composition, thereby forming a thermoplastic foam (e.g., a thermoplastic foam having a multicellular structure). In some examples, the contacting comprises contacting at a pressure of from about 10 MPa to about 100 MPa (e.g., from about 30 MPa to about 100 MPa, about 20 MPa to about 80 MPa, about 30 MPa to about 60 MPa, or about 40 MPa to about 70 MPa).Chemical blowing agents may be endothermic or exothermic, which refers to a type of decomposition they undergo to generate the gas for foaming. The degradation may be a result of a supply of thermal energy to the system. Endothermic propellants absorb energy and upon decomposition typically release a gas such as carbon dioxide. Exothermic propellants release energy upon their decomposition and produce a gas such as nitrogen. Regardless of the chemical blowing agent used, thermal variables of the first thermoplastic composition to be molded and thermal variables of the blowing agent to be decomposed are coupled together so that process parameters are selected so that the first thermoplastic composition can be molded and the blowing agent can decompose at an appropriate stage of the molding process.The disclosed foamed first thermoplastic compositions and articles can be made using all or some of the elements of conventional injection molding systems, such as those disclosed in U.S. Patent Application No. 62 / 734,912, incorporated herein by reference. Briefly, the system provides reduced pressure losses across the system as well as control (e.g., intentional increase or decrease) of the elongation, apparent shear, and / or zero shear viscosity of the molten first thermoplastic composition that is flowed into the mold. The method may comprise flowing a molten first thermoplastic composition into a shot tuning chamber from an upstream device and adjusting a temperature, pressure, or both within the shot tuning chamber to produce a tuned molten first thermoplastic composition. The method additionally comprises flowing the tuned molten first thermoplastic composition into a mold cavity from the shot tuning chamber. It will be appreciated that fine tuning of the temperature and / or pressure applied to the molten first thermoplastic composition enables the system to have a desired influence on the physical and mechanical properties of the molded article. In particular, the temperature of the molten first thermoplastic composition may be controlled to achieve a desired range of shear / elongation viscosities, which reduces (e.g., substantially eliminates) uncontrolled bubble growth and / or nucleation. In one example, the method may also include adjusting (e.g., increasing and / or decreasing) a pressure in the mold cavity via a gas back pressure (GCP) arrangement before or while the molten first thermoplastic composition is flowed from the shot tuning chamber or directly from the injector into the mold cavity. In such an example, the molten first thermoplastic composition may be flowed into the mold cavity at pressures substantially above ambient pressure. Moreover, GCP may be introduced into the mold cavity to control nucleation and bubble growth during polymer foaming as well as to increase the surface quality of the molded article. Control of nucleation and bubble growth can improve the uniformity of cell density, consistency of cell diameters, and mechanical properties of the thermoplastic foam. In some examples, improving homogeneity of cell density or consistency of cell diameters may be particularly advantageous for low specific gravity thermoplastic foams, such as less than or equal to 0.3, and / or for large dimension foam components, such as articles having a thickness ≥ 1.0 cm.The system may include a shot-tuning chamber configured to receive a molten first thermoplastic composition from an upstream device. The shot tuning chamber is also configured to adjust a temperature and / or pressure applied to the molten first thermoplastic composition to produce an adjusted molten first thermoplastic composition and to dispense the adjusted molten first thermoplastic composition. In this manner, the system can selectively adjust the temperature and / or pressure of the tuning chamber to achieve desired characteristics, as previously mentioned. In one example, the system may further include an adjustable mold channel configured to regulate fluid communication between the shot tuning chamber and a mold cavity in a mold.In another example, the system may include a GCP assembly coupled to the mold cavity and configured to regulate an amount of backpressure gas flow into and out of the mold cavity. Providing a GCP adjustment allows tuning of the first thermoplastic composition as it enters and cools within the mold.Alternatively, the disclosed foams and articles can be produced using methods and systems as described in WO 2018 / 222 714 A1. Briefly, the method may comprise a method of forming a single phase solution comprised of a thermoplastic composition and a supercritical fluid. The single phase solution is maintained under pressure during the forming process to prevent a cell structure from being formed by the supercritical fluid in the single phase composition exiting the solution. The mold cavity into which the single-phase solution for molding is introduced is pressurized to a molding pressure sufficient to hold the single-phase solution as a single-phase solution while the mold cavity is being filled. After filling the mold cavity with the single phase solution under pressure, the single phase solution may solidify and contain the supercritical fluid. Alternatively, the single phase solution may be subjected to a reduction in pressure prior to solidification, causing the entrapped supercritical fluid to transition to a gas in a phase transition and expand the softened thermoplastic composition to form a multicellular structure before the thermoplastic composition is solidified into a solidified multicellular foam.The method may include forming the single-phase solution, such as by introducing a supercritical fluid having a first thermoplastic composition that is melted, e.g., at a temperature from about the melting temperature of the thermoplastic elastomer of the thermoplastic composition to about 50 degrees Celsius above the melting end temperature of the thermoplastic elastomer as described herein, into a cylinder of an injection molding apparatus (e.g., screw) that is effective to mix the supercritical fluid and the molten thermoplastic composition, forming a single-phase solution under pressure. The method continues with pressurizing a mold cavity of a mold to a mold pressure above atmospheric pressure. Atmospheric pressure is a pressure of the environment to which the mold cavity is exposed (e.g., general ambient pressure). The molding pressure is at least one pressure to keep the single-phase solution as a single single phase. The method further comprises injecting the single phase solution into the pressurized mold cavity. The method also includes maintaining at least the mold pressure in the mold cavity during injection of the single phase solution. As a result, the pressure in the mold cavity prevents the supercritical fluid from changing to a gas through a phase change upon exiting the injection molding apparatus and coming out of solution to form a two-phase mixture (e.g., foaming). Because the pressure is maintained, premature foaming is avoided during injection of the thermoplastic composition from the injection molding apparatus to allow decoupling of the process parameters associated with the blowing agent and the thermoplastic composition.To produce the disclosed foams, a molding system may be used that includes a device configured to receive a first thermoplastic composition and heat the first thermoplastic composition to form a molten first thermoplastic composition or a single phase solution. The molding system may optionally include a shot-tuning chamber configured to receive the molten first thermoplastic composition or the single-phase solution from the apparatus and adjust a temperature or a pressure applied to the molten first thermoplastic composition or the single-phase solution. The molding system may optionally also include an adjustable runner configured to regulate the flow of the molten first thermoplastic composition or the single phase solution between the shot tuning chamber and a mold cavity. In one example, the device may be an injection device or an extrusion device. The molding system allows the properties of the first thermoplastic composition or the single phase solution to be adjusted to achieve desired end use objectives, such as to achieve a desired injection temperature or a desired foaming temperature, or both.In some aspects, the present disclosure is directed to a molded thermoplastic foam and a method of forming molded thermoplastic foam for, among other things, footwear articles or athletic equipment. In some examples, the method may be a process comprising providing (e.g., preparing) a thermoplastic foam preform and then compression molding the thermoplastic foam preform to form a compression molded thermoplastic foam. For example, the thermoplastic foam may be compression molded by placing the thermoplastic foam preform in a compression mold having a height less than the initial height of the thermoplastic foam preform and closing the mold, thereby compressing the thermoplastic foam preform to the height of the mold. Simultaneously or successively with the compression, the thermoplastic foam preform can be heated in the closed press mold. During compression molding, the temperature of at least a portion of the thermoplastic foam preform in the closed mold may be increased to a temperature within ±30 degrees Celsius of the softening temperature of the composition. The temperature can be raised by heating the closed mold. After the temperature is increased, while the thermoplastic foam preform remains closed in the press mold, the temperature of at least a part of the thermoplastic foam preform can be lowered. The temperature can be lowered by cooling the closed mold. The lowering may lower the temperature of at least a portion of the thermoplastic foam preform to a temperature of at least 35 degrees Celsius below the softening temperature of the composition, thereby forming the compression molded thermoplastic foam. After cooling, the mold may be opened and the molded thermoplastic foam removed from the mold.Examples contemplated herein are directed to methods of manufacturing footwear, apparel, or Athletikausrüstungsartikeln. For example, the method may include providing components such as midsoles and inserts of an article of footwear according to the present disclosure, and combining the component with an upper and an outsole to form the article of footwear.The thermoplastic foam may be formed using a method that includes impregnating a first thermoplastic composition (e.g., at or above a softening temperature of the composition) with a physical blowing agent at a first concentration or pressure. The impregnated first thermoplastic composition may then be foamed or cooled (if appropriate) and softened again (if appropriate) to be expanded at a later time. In some cases, the impregnated first thermoplastic composition is foamed by reducing the temperature or pressure, which affects the solubility of the physical blowing agent. Reducing the solubility of the physical blowing agent may release additional amounts of the impregnated physical blowing agent from the first thermoplastic composition to further inflate the composition and form a thermoplastic foam (e.g., a thermoplastic foam having a multicellular structure).The thermoplastic foam may have a closed skin. A closed skin may be formed by foaming and molding a thermoplastic copolyester foam in a closed mold. A closed skin may also be formed by compression molding a thermoplastic foam preform in a compression mold. However, care should be taken during compression molding not to subject the thermoplastic foam preform to conditions such that more than a desired amount of the cellular structures of the foam collapse. One way to avoid collapsing more than a desired amount of the cellular structures is to control the temperature of the thermoplastic foam during the compression molding process, for example, by controlling the temperature of the mold. For example, during the compression molding step, heating the thermoplastic foam preform in the compression mold may be performed for a time of from 100 seconds to 1,000 seconds or from 150 seconds to 700 seconds.Once the thermoplastic foam has been heated in the mold at the appropriate temperature for the desired period of time to soften the thermoplastic foam to the desired level, the softened preform is cooled, for example, to a temperature of at least 35 degrees Celsius below its softening temperature or at least 50 degrees Celsius below its softening temperature or at least 80 degrees Celsius below its softening temperature to resolidify the softened foam, thereby forming the compression molded foam. After cooling, the compression molded thermoplastic foam is removed from the die. After the heating, the cooling of the foam preform can be carried out in the press mould for a time of 50 to 1,000 seconds or for a time of 100 to 400 seconds.The thermoplastic foam may be foamed using any of the methods described above. The thermoplastic foam may be included in components of footwear articles as described above, for example, midsole 146 as depicted in FIGS. 1A-1B.Methods for Making Disclosed Articles.Various examples include methods of manufacturing an article having a first component and a second component. As discussed hereinabove, the first component may be a foam component, e.g., a first foam component, and the second component may be a foam component, e.g., a second foam component. The first component may be, but is not limited to, a midsole or a midsole component. The second component may be, but is not limited to, an outsole or an upper. It will be appreciated that the second component may be foamed, partially foamed, or substantially non-foamed. In some cases, the second thermoplastic composition comprises one or more disclosed thermoplastic elastomers. For example, a second thermoplastic composition comprises at least 90 wt %, or at least 95 wt %, or at least 99 wt %, of the thermoplastic elastomer disclosed herein, based on the total weight of the second thermoplastic composition. In some cases, the second thermoplastic composition has a greater concentration of fillers, pigments, or colorants compared to the first thermoplastic composition of the first foam component. The disclosed methods of manufacturing an article having a first component and a second component may further include steps or adaptations as known to those skilled in the art.In some aspects, the methods of manufacturing an article of footwear include injection molding a first thermoplastic composition to form a thermoplastic foam described herein to produce an article of foam or a component of an article, such as a cushioning element for an article of footwear. The methods may further comprise manufacturing an article or a component of an article comprising providing a midsole or a component of a midsole, then providing an upper and / or an outsole or outsole component to an article of footwear; and followed by combining the midsole or midsole component with the upper and / or the outsole or outsole component to produce an article of footwear. In some cases, the method of manufacturing the article of footwear includes combining an article having a thermoplastic foam, an upper, and an outsole to form an article of footwear. In various aspects, the upper and / or outsole may comprise the same or different thermoplastic composition, second thermoplastic composition, or combinations thereof. In some cases, the outsole used in the method may be foamed, partially foamed, or substantially non-foamed. It will be appreciated that a midsole, midsole component, outsole, or outsole component can be foamed or partially foamed using the methods disclosed herein for making a foam article.The various methods disclosed may include coupling a first component to a second component. In certain aspects, the disclosed methods include co-forming the first component and the second component. For example, the first thermoplastic composition for the first component, i.e., a disclosed thermoplastic composition, and the second thermoplastic composition may be sequentially placed in a mold during an injection molding process to provide a unitary component having a first component, i.e., a foam portion comprising the first thermoplastic composition, and a second component, e.g., a polymeric layer comprising the second thermoplastic composition. In this aspect, a mold having a first mold portion with a mold surface may be provided. The second thermoplastic composition may be added to the mold to form a polymeric layer on at least a portion of the mold surface. The second thermoplastic composition may be added to the mold as a film or coating applied to a mold surface. The method of adding the second thermoplastic composition may include injecting the second thermoplastic composition into the mold cavity prior to injecting the first thermoplastic composition into the mold cavity. Optionally, after injecting the second thermoplastic composition into the mold cavity, but before injecting the first thermoplastic composition into the mold cavity, the pressure within the mold cavity or the temperature of the mold cavity, or both, may be changed. For example, after injecting the second thermoplastic composition into the mold, the pressure within the mold may be increased to better cover the surfaces of the mold cavity with the second thermoplastic composition and create a polymeric layer on the surfaces of the mold cavity. The first thermoplastic composition for the first component, i.e., a disclosed thermoplastic composition, may be injected into the mold containing the second component, i.e., the polymeric layer comprising the second thermoplastic composition, and foamed while in contact with the polymeric layer. The resulting injection molded component is a unitary component, wherein the second component, i.e., the polymeric layer, is thermally bonded to the first component, i.e., the foam component.In one example, when injecting the second thermoplastic composition and the first thermoplastic composition to form a unitary component as described above, the second thermoplastic composition may be free of blowing agents or substantially free of blowing agents to form a unitary foamed article having an non-foamed polymeric layer comprising the second thermoplastic composition covering the thermoplastic foam having a multi-cellular foam structure having in its composition the first thermoplastic composition. For example, the step of injecting the second thermoplastic composition may comprise injecting a molten second thermoplastic composition free of or substantially free of physical or chemical blowing agents, and the step of injecting the first thermoplastic composition may comprise injecting a single phase solution of the first thermoplastic composition and a supercritical fluid. In this way, the second thermoplastic composition may be used to form a decorative layer or a protective layer on the thermoplastic foam. An advantage of this method is that the level of detail of the non-foamed polymeric layer may be greater, since a non-foamed material retains a greater level of mold details than a foamed layer. Another advantage of this method is that the second thermoplastic composition may have different physical properties or color or both physical properties and color as compared to the first thermoplastic composition, or that the second thermoplastic composition and the first thermoplastic composition may be structurally different as described herein. For example, the second thermoplastic composition may have a greater durometer hardness or higher level of abrasion resistance or coefficient of friction compared to the thermoplastic foam having the first thermoplastic composition to provide a greater level of traction. In another example, the second thermoplastic composition may have a greater concentration of pigments or dyes or both as compared to the first thermoplastic composition. For example, the second thermoplastic composition may comprise more than 3 wt %, or more than 4 wt %, or more than 5 wt %, or more than 6 wt %, or more than 10 wt % pigments, while the first thermoplastic composition may be free of or substantially free of pigments. This can reduce the total amount of pigments used to impart color to the uniform component without having to include pigments in both the first and second thermoplastic compositions, which increases the recycleability of the uniform component.Alternatively or additionally, the second component comprising the second thermoplastic composition may be disposed on the outer surface of the first component comprising the first thermoplastic composition during a compression molding step or during a vacuum molding step. For example, a first component may be produced, for example, by injection molding, and the foam component may then be compression molded or vacuum molded in a mold containing the second component (optionally with heating) such that the first component bonds to the surface of the second component during compression molding or vacuum molding. As described above, the second thermoplastic composition may have a greater durometer hardness or higher level of abrasion resistance or coefficient of friction compared to the thermoplastic foam having the first thermoplastic composition to provide a greater level of traction. The second and first thermoplastic compositions may be structurally different. In another example, the second thermoplastic composition may have a greater concentration of pigments or dyes or both as compared to the first thermoplastic composition.The second component may be provided as an already molded component, e.g., a second component, for the injection mold or die. For example, the second component, e.g., a film, may be placed in an injection mold and held against a target surface of the mold via vacuum openings, electrostatic charge, or other methods. The second component can be adapted to the target surface of the mold, for example, by the application of heat or vacuum before or after insertion into the mold. The first thermoplastic composition for the first component, i.e., a disclosed thermoplastic copolyester composition, may then be injected into the mold containing the film and foamed as described herein. As a result, the second component becomes an integral part of the molded component.Alternatively or additionally, the second component may be disposed on the foam component after the foam component is formed. According to some of the disclosed methods, the second component is provided separately from the first component and subsequently operatively coupled such that the second component is in contact with a target portion of an outer surface of the first component. The second component may be coupled to the outer surface of a first component using any suitable method. In one aspect, the second component may be adhesively laminated to the first component. In another aspect, the second component may be coupled to the first component and thermally laminated to an outer surface of the first component. For example, heat may be applied to an outer surface of the first component, to a surface of the second component, or to both to soften or melt the heated surface(s), and the two surfaces may be joined when one or both is in the softened or molten state. In one aspect, the second component may be coupled to the first component using a flame lamination process.The second component may be provided as a polymeric layer. For example, a polymeric coating may be formed by applying a liquid second thermoplastic composition, for example, by spraying, dip coating, drum coating, brushing, or a combination thereof, to the foam component. The liquid polymeric material may then be dried or cured while in contact with the first component.The polymeric layer may be disposed on at least one exterior surface of the foam component. For example, if the foam article is a midsole, the coating may be on all or a portion of the midsole sidewall or on all or a portion of a bottom-facing (bottom) surface of the midsole or on all or a portion of an upward-facing (top) surface of the midsole, or any combination thereof. The polymeric layer may be disposed on at least one surface that may be exposed to moisture during normal use of the finished article, e.g., an article of footwear.When disposed on the foam component, the polymeric layer has an average thickness of from about 0.01 millimeters to about 3 millimeters, or from about 0.03 millimeters to about 2 millimeters, or from about 0.1 millimeters to about 1 millimeter.In various aspects, the foam component or article having the disclosed polymeric layer has similar physical properties compared to an equivalent foam component or article lacking the polymeric layer.When the second thermoplastic composition is a film, in a particular aspect the film may be a multilayer film. The multilayer film may comprise one or more layers of the second thermoplastic composition and one or more layers of another (i.e., third) thermoplastic composition. The third thermoplastic composition may be a material that has a lower level of oxygen permeability or water vapor permeability, or both, compared to the second thermoplastic composition. For example, the third thermoplastic composition may comprise a barrier polymer such as ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH). An example of a multilayer film includes a first layer comprising a second thermoplastic composition comprising TPU and a second layer comprising a third thermoplastic composition comprising EVOH. Alternatively, the third thermoplastic composition may be an adhesive layer comprising one or more adhesive polymers, such as one or more hot melt adhesive polymers. Another example of a multilayer film includes a first layer including a second thermoplastic composition including a first TPU and a second layer including a third thermoplastic composition including a second hot melt adhesive TPU having a lower melting temperature than the first TPU.The polymeric layer may be formed by applying a powdered second thermoplastic composition, such as by spraying, powder coating, electrostatic coating, drum coating, or a combination thereof, to the foam component. In some aspects, an adhesive could be used to attach the powder to the midsole and / or a coating can be applied over the powder to hold it in place on the foam component. Once the powder is attached to the midsole, it may be left in the form of a powder or it may be treated to form a more uniform coating, for example, by heating to melt it, applying a solvent to dissolve it, etc.Alternatively, the polymeric layer may take the form of a separate element that is applied to all or part of an outer surface of the foam component when the midsole is incorporated into an article of footwear. For example, the foam component may be a midsole component of an article of footwear, and the polymeric layer may be an edge or a sealing tape applied around a periphery of the midsole. The polymeric layer may be an extension of an outsole covering all or a portion of the lower surface of the midsole and enclosing and covering at least a portion of the sidewall of the midsole. The polymeric layer may be the "shell" portion of a core-shell sole structure that covers both the lower surface and the side walls of the midsole and that is secured to the upper of the article of footwear.The foam articles and components may be foamed using any of the methods described above.In various aspects, the disclosed methods for manufacturing articles comprising a first component and a second component, wherein the second component comprises a second thermoplastic composition, may be separately manufactured by injection molding with or without the addition of compressed gas, supercritical fluids, or other blowing agents, thereby manufacturing the foam article.In some cases, the disclosed methods of manufacturing articles having a first component and a second component include injection molding by overmolding. In some cases, the overmolding may comprise sequentially injecting a polymeric material for the first component, i.e., a disclosed thermoplastic copolyester, and a second thermoplastic composition in the same process, or wherein the second thermoplastic composition has been prepared in a separate process and subsequently inserted into the mold, after which the foam article is overmolded from the first thermoplastic composition. The second component may be separately manufactured by injection molding with only sufficient compressed gas, supercritical fluids, or other propellants to achieve a density of 0.90 grams per cubic centimeter, 0.85 grams per cubic centimeter, or 0.80 grams per cubic centimeter.In some cases, the disclosed methods of making articles having a first component and a second component include a corona treatment step. That is, the second component may be, for example, a film or outsole or rim that is pretreated with a plasma or corona treatment prior to receiving the overmolding application described herein.In some instances, the disclosed methods of making articles having a first component and a second component include a step of pretreatment with a primer. That is, the second component may be, for example, a film or outsole or rim that is / is pretreated with a primer alone or a primer plus and an adhesive before it / she receives the overmolding application method described herein.In some cases, the disclosed methods for manufacturing articles having a first component and a second component include a step of melt lamination 3D printing. That is, for example, the second component may be printed on a first component by melt-lamination 3D printing. In such cases, a second thermoplastic composition may be extruded into a melt-lamination 3D print filament of about 1.5 mm, about 1.75 mm, about 1.85 mm, about 2.85 mm, about 3.0 mm, or other relevant diameter for deposition and attachment to the first component to comprise the ground contact layer, the printed outsole, or other external features. For 3D print filaments for melt lamination applications, any quality common in injection molding is generally sufficient.The resulting article having the first and second components may be characterized by good bond strength between the first and second components. The sheet adhesion strength between the polymeric layer and the foam component is greater than 2.5 kg force / centimeter or greater than 3.0 kg force / centimeter when determined using the sheet adhesion test method described herein. Alternatively, the bond strength between the first and second components may additionally be determined according to the hand pull test described herein. The disclosed articles or components may have a bond between the first and second components that have an average hand-pull test result of greater than or equal to 2.0 or greater than or equal to 2.5 or greater than or equal to 3.0 or greater than or equal to 3.5 or greater than or equal to 4.0 or greater than or equal to 4.5 when determined according to the hand-pull test method described herein.Each of the first and / or second components may be characterized by one or more properties. For example, a first and / or a second component may have an acronym abrasion of less than 0.50 cubic centimeters loss, optionally less than 0.40 cubic centimeters loss, less than 0.30 cubic centimeters loss, less than 0.20 cubic centimeters loss, or less than 0.10 cubic centimeters loss as determined using the acronym abrasion test. The first and / or second components may have an acronym abrasion of about 0.05 cubic centimeter loss, about 0.10 cubic centimeter loss, about 0.15 cubic centimeter loss, about 0.20 cubic centimeter loss, about 0.25 cubic centimeter loss, about 0.30 cubic centimeter loss, about 0.35 cubic centimeter loss, about 0.40 cubic centimeter loss, about 0.45 cubic centimeter loss, or about 0.50 cubic centimeter loss as determined using the Acronym Abrasion Test, any range of abrasion values encompassed by any of the above values or any combination of the above abrasion values.The first and / or second component may have an acronym abrasion of less than 500 milligrams loss, optionally less than 400 milligrams loss, less than 300 milligrams loss, less than 200 milligrams loss, or less than 100 milligrams loss as determined using the acronym abrasion test. The first and / or second component may have an acronym abrasion of about 50 milligrams loss, about 100 milligrams loss, about 150 milligrams loss, about 200 milligrams loss, about 250 milligrams loss, about 300 milligrams loss, about 350 milligrams loss, about 400 milligrams loss, about 450 milligrams loss, or about 500 milligrams loss as determined using the acronym abrasion test, any range of abrasion values encompassed by any of the above values, or any combination of the above abrasion values.The first and / or a second component may have a DIN abrasion of less than 0.30 cubic centimeter loss, optionally less than 0.20 cubic centimeter loss, less than 0.10 cubic centimeter loss, less than 0.05 cubic centimeter loss, or less than 0.03 cubic centimeter loss, as determined according to the DIN abrasion test. The first and / or a second component may have a DIN abrasion of about 0.01 cubic centimeter loss, about 0.05 cubic centimeter loss, about 0.10 cubic centimeter loss, about 0.15 cubic centimeter loss, about 0.20 cubic centimeter loss, about 0.25 cubic centimeter loss, or about 0.30 cubic centimeter loss, as determined using the DIN abrasion test, any range of abrasion values encompassed by any of the above values, or any combination of the above abrasion values.The first and / or second component may have a DIN abrasion of less than 300 milligrams loss, optionally less than 250 milligrams loss, optionally less than 200 milligrams loss, optionally less than 150 milligrams loss, optionally less than 100 milligrams loss, optionally less than 80 milligrams loss, optionally less than 50 milligrams loss, or optionally less than 30 milligrams, determined using the DIN abrasion test. The first and / or second component may have a DIN abrasion of about 10 milligrams loss, about 50 milligrams loss, about 100 milligrams loss, about 150 milligrams loss, about 200 milligrams loss, about 250 milligrams loss, or about 300 milligrams loss, as determined using the DIN abrasion test, any range of abrasion values encompassed by any of the above values, or any combination of the above abrasion values.When the first and / or second components described herein are incorporated into an article, the product may have improved traction properties. In one aspect, the coefficient of friction of the polymeric layer may be used to measure traction properties.The first and / or second component may have a dry dynamic friction coefficient (COF) on a dry surface (e.g., a smooth, flat, or textured surface such as wood board, concrete, asphalt, laminate, brick, or ceramic tile) of greater than 0.5, optionally greater than 0.7, greater than 0.8, greater than 0.9, greater than 1.0 as determined using the dry outsole friction coefficient test. The polymeric layer may have a dry dynamic COF of greater than 0.15, optionally greater than 0.2, greater than 0.25, or greater than 0.3, using the dry top friction coefficient test.The first and / or a second component may have a wet dynamic COF of greater than 0.25, optionally greater than 0.30, greater than 0.35, greater than 0.40, or greater than 0.50, as determined using the wet outsole friction coefficient test. The polymeric layer may have a wet dynamic COF of greater than 0.15, optionally greater than 0.2, greater than 0.25, or greater than 0.3, using the wet top coefficient of friction test.It may be desirable that the dynamic friction coefficient be as similar as possible for the same dry and wet surface (e.g., plain concrete or halo). In one aspect, the difference between the dynamic coefficient of friction of the dry surface and the wet surface is less than 15 percent. In another aspect, the difference between the dynamic coefficient of friction of the dry surface and the wet surface is about 0 percent, about 1 percent, about 2 percent, about 3 percent, about 4 percent, about 5 percent, about 6 percent, about 7 percent, about 8 percent, about 9 percent, about 10 percent, about 11 percent, about 12 percent, about 13 percent, about 14 percent, or about 15 percent, any range of percentages encompassed by any of the foregoing values, or any combination of the foregoing percentages.The first and / or second component may have a durometer Shore A hardness of less than 90, or less than 85, or less than 80. The polymeric layer may have a durometer Shore A hardness of greater than 60 or greater than 65. The polymeric layer may have a durometer Shore A hardness of from about 50 to about 90 Shore A, optionally from about 55 to about 85 Shore A, from about 60 to about 80 Shore A, or from about 60 to about 70 Shore A. The polymeric layer may have a durometer Shore A hardness of about 50A, about 55A, about 60A, about 65A, about 70A, about 75A, about 80A, about 85A, or about 90A, any range of Shore A hardness values encompassed by any of the foregoing values, or any combination of the foregoing Shore A values hardness values.Thermoplastic copolyester compositionThe thermoplastic compositions disclosed herein (i.e., the polymeric material for the first component of the foam portion and / or the second thermoplastic composition) may comprise or consist essentially of one or more thermoplastic copolyesters including one or more thermoplastic copolyester elastomers. In some aspects, the first thermoplastic composition for the first component comprises at least 90 percent, or at least 95 wt %, or at least 99 wt %, of a thermoplastic copolyester disclosed herein, based on the total weight of the first thermoplastic composition.The thermoplastic copolyester compositions comprise or consist essentially of one or more thermoplastic copolyesters. The disclosed thermoplastic copolyester composition may comprise at least about 90 wt %, or at least about 95 wt %, or at least about 99 wt % of the one or more thermoplastic copolyesters based on the total weight of the thermoplastic copolyester composition. In some aspects, the polymeric component of the thermoplastic copolyester composition comprising all polymeric materials present in the thermoplastic copolyester composition consists essentially of the one or more thermoplastic copolyesters. The thermoplastic copolyesters can have chain units derived from one or more olefins and chain units derived from one or more ethylenically unsaturated acid groups.The thermoplastic copolyester compositions may have a melt flow index of about 5 to about 40, or about 10 to about 20, or about 20 to about 30, as determined at 210 degrees Celsius using a 2.16 kg weight. Alternatively or additionally, the thermoplastic copolyester compositions may have a melt flow index of about 5 to about 40, or about 10, about 20, or about 20 to about 30, as determined at 220 degrees Celsius using a 2.16 kg weight. Alternatively or additionally, the thermoplastic copolyester compositions may have a melt flow index of about 5 to about 40, or about 10 to about 20, or about 20 to about 30, as determined at 230 degrees Celsius using a 2.16 kg weight.The thermoplastic copolyesters can be terpolymers of units derived from ethylene, acrylic acid and methyl acrylate or butyl acrylate. In some aspects, a ratio of total weight parts of the acrylic acid in the thermoplastic copolyesters to a total weight of the thermoplastic copolyesters is about 0.05 to about 0.6, about 0.1 to about 0.6, about 0.1 to about 0.5, about 0.15 to about 0.5, or about 0.2 to about 0.5.The thermoplastic compositions provided herein may comprise a thermoplastic copolyester comprising: (a) a plurality of first segments, each first segment being derived from a dihydroxy terminated polydiol; (b) a plurality of second segments, each second segment being derived from a diol; and (c) a plurality of third segments, each third segment being derived from an aromatic dicarboxylic acid. In various aspects, the thermoplastic copolyester is a block copolymer. In some aspects, the thermoplastic copolyester is a segmented copolymer. In further aspects, the thermoplastic copolyester is a random copolymer. In still further aspects, the thermoplastic copolyester is a condensation copolymer.The thermoplastic copolyester may have a weight average molecular weight of from about 50,000 daltons to about 1,000,000 daltons; from about 50,000 daltons to about 500,000 daltons; from about 75,000 daltons to about 300,000 daltons; from about 100,000 daltons to about 250,000 daltons; from about 100,000 daltons to about 500,000 daltons; or a value or values of weight average molecular weight within any of the above ranges or a weight average molecular weight range comprising any portion of the above ranges.The thermoplastic copolyester may have a ratio of first segments to third segments of about 1:1 to about 1:5 based on the weight of each of the first segments and the third segments; about 1:1 to about 1:3 based on the weight of each of the first segments and the third segments; about 1:1 to about 1:2 based on the weight of each of the first segments and the third segments; about 1:1 to about 1:3 based on the weight of each of the first segments and the third segments; or have a value or values of a ratio of first segments to third segments within any of the above ranges or have a range of a ratio of first segments to third segments that includes any portion of the above ranges.The thermoplastic copolyester may have a ratio of second segments to third segments of about 1:1 to about 1:2 based on the weight of each of the first segments and the third segments; about 1:1 to about 1:1.52 based on the weight of each of the first segments and the third segment; or a value or values of a ratio of second segments to third segments within any of the foregoing ranges, or a range of a ratio of second segments to third segments that includes any portion of the foregoing ranges.The thermoplastic copolyester may have first segments derived from a poly(alkylene oxide) diol having a number average molecular weight of about 250 daltons to about 6000 daltons; about 400 daltons to about 6,000 daltons; about 350 daltons to about 5,000 daltons; about 500 daltons to about 3,000 daltons; about 2,000 daltons to about 3,000 daltons; or a value or values of a weight average molecular weight within any of the above ranges or a weight average molecular weight range comprising any portion of the above ranges.The thermoplastic copolyester may have first segments derived from a poly(alkylene oxide) diol, such as poly(ethylene ether) diol; poly(propylene ether) diol; poly(tetramethylene ether) diol; poly(pentamethylene ether) diol; poly(hexamethylene ether) diol; Poly(heptamethylenether)diol; poly(octamethylene ether) diol; Poly(nonamethylenether)diol; Poly(decamethylenether)diol; or mixtures thereof. In yet another aspect, the thermoplastic copolyester may have first segments derived from a poly(alkylene oxide) diol such as poly(ethylene ether) diol; poly(propylene ether) diol; poly(tetramethylene ether) diol; poly(pentamethylene ether) diol; poly(hexamethylene ether) diol. In yet another aspect, the thermoplastic copolyester may have first segments derived from a poly(tetramethylene ether) diol.The thermoplastic copolyester may have second segments derived from a diol having a molecular weight of less than about 250. The diol from which the second segments are derived may be a C2-C8 diol. In yet another aspect, the second segments may be derived from ethanediol; propanediol; butanediol; pentanediol; 2-methylpropanediol; 2,2-dimethylpropanediol; hexanediol; 1,2-dihydroxycyclohexane; 1,3-dihydroxycyclohexane; 1,4-dihydroxycyclohexane; and mixtures thereof. In yet another aspect, the second segments may be derived from 1,2-ethanediol, 1,3-propanediol, 1,4-butanediol, 1,6-hexanediol, and mixtures thereof. In yet another aspect, the second segments may be derived from 1,2-ethanediol. In yet another aspect, the second segments may be derived from 1,4-butanediol.The thermoplastic copolyester may have third segments derived from a C5-C16aromatic dicarboxylic acid. The C5-C16aromatic dicarboxylic acid may have a molecular weight of less than about 300 daltons; about 120 daltons to about 200 daltons; or a molecular weight value or values within any of the above ranges or a molecular weight range comprising any of the above ranges. In some cases, the C5-C16aromatic dicarboxylic acid is terephthalic acid, phthalic acid, isophthalic acid, or a derivative thereof. In yet another aspect, the C5-C16aromatic dicarboxylic acid is a diester derivative of terephthalic acid, phthalic acid, or isophthalic acid. In yet another aspect, the C5-C16aromatic dicarboxylic acid is terephthalic acid or the dimethyl ester derivative thereof.The thermoplastic copolyester may have: (a) a plurality of first copolyester units, each first copolyester unit of the plurality having the first segment derived from a dihydroxy-terminated polydiol and the third segment derived from an aromatic dicarboxylic acid, wherein the first copolyester unit has a structure represented by a formula 1: wherein R 1 is a group remaining after removing terminal hydroxyl groups from the poly(alkylene oxide)diol of the first segment, wherein the poly(alkylene oxide)diol of the first segment is a poly(alkylene oxide)diol having a number average molecular weight of about 400 to about 6000; and wherein R 2 is a group remaining after removing carboxyl groups from the aromatic dicarboxylic acid of the third segment; (b) a plurality of second copolyester units, each second copolyester unit of the plurality having the second diol-derived segment and the third aromatic dicarboxylic acid-derived segment, wherein the second copolyester unit has a structure represented by a formula 2: wherein R 3 is a group remaining after removal of hydroxyl groups from the diol of the second diol-derived segment, wherein the diol is a diol having a molecular weight of less than about 250; and wherein R 2 is the group remaining after removal of carboxyl groups from the aromatic dicarboxylic acid of the third segment.The thermoplastic copolyester may have a plurality of first copolyester units having a structure represented by a formula 3: wherein R is H or methyl; wherein y is an integer having a value of 1 to 10; wherein z is an integer having a value of 2 to 60; and wherein a weight average molecular weight of each of the plurality of first copolyester units is about 300 daltons to about 7,000 daltons. In some aspects, in the above formula, y may be an integer having a value of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10; or y may be any amount or range of the above integer values. In some aspects of the above formula, z is an integer having a value from 5 to 60; an integer having a value from 5 to 50; an integer having a value from 5 to 40; an integer having a value from 4 to 30; an integer having a value from 4 to 20; an integer having a value from 2 to 10; or z may be any amount or range of the above integer values. In some aspects, R is hydrogen. In yet another aspect, R is methyl. In some cases, R is hydrogen and y is an integer having a value of 1, 2 or 3. Alternatively, in other cases, R is methyl and y is an integer having a value of 1.The thermoplastic copolyester may have a plurality of first copolyester units having a structure represented by a formula 4: wherein z is an integer having a value of 2 to 60; and wherein a weight average molecular weight of each of the plurality of first copolyester units is about 300 daltons to about 7,000 daltons. In some aspects, in the above formula, y may be an integer having a value of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10; or y may be any amount or range of the above integer values. In some aspects of the above formula, z is an integer having a value from 5 to 60; an integer having a value from 5 to 50; an integer having a value from 5 to 40; an integer having a value from 4 to 30; an integer having a value from 4 to 20; an integer having a value from 2 to 10; or z may be any integer value or set of integer values within the above ranges or values or any range of integer values that includes a portion of the above integer value ranges.The thermoplastic copolyester can comprise a plurality of first copolyester units having a weight average molecular weight of from about 400 daltons to about 6,000 daltons; from about 400 daltons to about 5,000 daltons; from about 400 daltons to about 4,000 daltons; from about 400 daltons to about 3,000 daltons; from about 500 daltons to about 6,000 daltons; from about 500 daltons to about 5,000 daltons; from about 500 daltons to about 4,000 daltons; from about 500 daltons to about 3,000 daltons; from about 600 daltons to about 6,000 daltons; from about 600 daltons to about 5,000 daltons; from about 600 daltons to about 4,000 daltons; from about 600 daltons to about 3,000 daltons; from about 2,000 daltons to about 3,000 daltons; or a value or values of a weight average molecular weight within any of the above ranges or a weight average molecular weight range comprising any of the above ranges.The thermoplastic copolyester may comprise a plurality of second copolyester units, each second copolyester unit of the plurality being represented by a formula 5: wherein x is an integer having a value of 1 to 20; wherein the foamed article comprises a multicellular closed-cell or open-cell foamed structure. In some aspects, in the above formula, x is an integer having a value of 2 to 18; 2 to 17; 2 to 16; 2 to 15; 2 to 14; 2 to 13; 2 to 12; 2 to 11; 2 to 10; 2 to 9; 2 to 8; 2 to 7; 2 to 6; 2 to 5; 2 to 4; or x may be any integer value or set of integer values within the above ranges or values or any range of integer values that includes a portion of the above integer value ranges. In another aspect, x is an integer having a value of 2, 3 or 4.The thermoplastic copolyester may comprise a plurality of second copolyester units, each second copolyester unit of the plurality being represented by a formula 6: The thermoplastic copolyester may have a weight percent range of the plurality of first copolyester units based on a total weight of the thermoplastic copolyester such that the weight percent range is about 30 wt % to about 80 wt %; about 40 wt % to about 80 wt %; about 50 wt % to about 80 wt %; about 30 wt % to about 70 wt %; about 40 wt % to about 70 wt %; about 50 wt % to about 70 wt %; about 40 wt % to about 65 wt %; about 45 wt % to about 65 wt %; about 50 wt % to about 65 wt %; about 55 wt % to about 65 wt %; about 40 wt % to about 60 wt %; about 45 wt % to about 60 wt %; about 50 wt % to about 60 wt %; about 55 wt % to about 60 wt %; or any weight percent or amount of weight percent within any of the above ranges of wt % or any range of weight percent comprising a subset of any of the above ranges.In some aspects, the thermoplastic copolyester in solid form may have phase separated domains. For example, a plurality of first segments derived from a dihydroxy-terminated polydiol may be phase separated into domains mainly comprising the first segments. Moreover, a plurality of second segments derived from a diol may be phase separated into domains mainly comprising the second segments. In other aspects, the thermoplastic copolyester may have phase separated domains mainly comprising a plurality of first copolyester units, each first copolyester unit of the plurality having the first segment derived from a dihydroxy-terminated polydiol and the third segment derived from an aromatic dicarboxylic acid, wherein the first copolyester unit has a structure represented by a formula 1: wherein R 1 is a group remaining after removing terminal hydroxyl groups from the poly(alkylene oxide)diol of the first segment, wherein the poly(alkylene oxide)diol of the first segment is a poly(alkylene oxide)diol having a number average molecular weight of about 400 to about 6000; and wherein R 2 is a group remaining after removal of carboxyl groups from the third segment aromatic dicarboxylic acid; and other phase separated domains consisting mainly of a plurality of second copolyester units, each second copolyester unit of the plurality having the second diol-derived segment and the third aromatic dicarboxylic acid-derived segment, the second copolyester unit having a structure represented by a formula 2: wherein R 3 is a group remaining after removal of hydroxyl groups from the diol of the second diol-derived segment, the diol being a diol having a molecular weight of less than about 250; and wherein R 2 is the group remaining after removal of carboxyl groups from the third segment aromatic dicarboxylic acid.In other aspects, the solid form thermoplastic copolyester may have phase separated domains consisting mainly of a plurality of first copolyester units, each first copolyester unit of the plurality having a structure represented by a formula 3: wherein R is H or methyl; wherein y is an integer having a value of 1 to 10; wherein z is an integer having a value of 2 to 60; and wherein a weight average molecular weight of each of the plurality of first copolyester units is about 300 daltons to about 7,000 daltons. In some aspects, in the above formula, y may be an integer having a value of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10; or y may be any amount or range of the above integer values. In some aspects, z in the above formula is an integer having a value of 5 to 60; an integer having a value of 5 to 50; an integer having a value of 5 to 40; an integer having a value of 4 to 30; an integer having a value of 4 to 20; an integer having a value of 2 to 10; or z may be any amount or range of the above integer values. In some aspects, R is hydrogen. In yet another aspect, R is methyl. In some cases, R is hydrogen and y is an integer having a value of 1, 2 or 3. Alternatively, in other cases, R is methyl and y is an integer having a value of 1.In other aspects, the solid form thermoplastic copolyester may have phase-separated domains mainly composed of a plurality of first copolyester units, each first copolyester unit of the plurality having a structure represented by a formula 4: wherein z is an integer having a value of 2 to 60; and wherein a weight average molecular weight of each of the plurality of first copolyester units is from about 300 daltons to about 7,000 daltons. In some aspects, in the above formula, y may be an integer having a value of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10; or y may be any amount or range of the above integer values. In some aspects, z in the above formula is an integer having a value of 5 to 60; an integer having a value of 5 to 50; an integer having a value of 5 to 40; an integer having a value of 4 to 30; an integer having a value of 4 to 20; an integer having a value of 2 to 10; or z may be any integer value or set of integer values within the above ranges or values, or any range of integer values that includes a portion of the above integer value ranges.In solid form, the thermoplastic copolyester can have phase separated domains that comprise primarily a plurality of first copolyester units having a weight average molecular weight of from about 400 daltons to about 6,000 daltons; from about 400 daltons to about 5,000 daltons; from about 400 daltons to about 4,000 daltons; from about 400 daltons to about 3,000 daltons; from about 500 daltons to about 6,000 daltons; from about 500 daltons to about 5,000 daltons; from about 500 daltons to about 4,000 daltons; from about 500 daltons to about 3,000 daltons; from about 600 daltons to about 6,000 daltons; from about 600 daltons to about 5,000 daltons; from about 600 daltons to about 4,000 daltons; from about 600 daltons to about 3,000 daltons; from about 2,000 daltons to about 3,000 daltons; or a value or values of a weight average molecular weight within any of the above ranges or a weight average molecular weight range comprising any of the above ranges.In other aspects, the thermoplastic copolyester in solid form may have phase separated domains comprising a plurality of second copolyester units, each second copolyester unit of the plurality being represented by a formula 5: wherein x is an integer having a value of 1 to 20; wherein the foam article has a multicellular closed cell or open cell foam structure. In some aspects, in the above formula, x is an integer having a value of 2 to 18; 2 to 17; 2 to 16; 2 to 15; 2 to 14; 2 to 13; 2 to 12; 2 to 11; 2 to 10; 2 to 9; 2 to 8; 2 to 7; 2 to 6; 2 to 5; 2 to 4; or x may be any integer value or set of integer values within the above ranges or values or any range of integer values that includes a portion of the above integer value ranges. In another aspect, x is an integer having a value of 2, 3 or 4.In other aspects, the thermoplastic copolyester in solid form may have phase separated domains comprising a plurality of second copolyester units, each second copolyester unit of the plurality being represented by a formula 6: In solid form, the thermoplastic copolyester may comprise phase separated domains having a weight percent range of the plurality of first copolyester units based on a total weight of the thermoplastic copolyester such that the weight percent range is about 30 wt % to about 80 wt %; about 40 wt % to about 80 wt %; about 50 wt % to about 80 wt %; about 30 wt % to about 70 wt %; about 40 wt % to about 70 wt %; about 50 wt % to about 70 wt %; about 40 wt % to about 65 wt %; about 45 wt % to about 65 wt %; about 50 wt % to about 65 wt %; about 55 wt % to about 65 wt %; about 40 wt % to about 60 wt %; about 45 wt % to about 60 wt %; about 50 wt % to about 60 wt %; about 55 wt % to about 60 wt %; or any weight percent or amount of weight percent within any of the above ranges of wt % or any range of weight percent comprising a subset of any of the above ranges.The disclosed thermoplastic copolyester composition, the polymeric component of the composition, or an individual thermoplastic copolyester copolymer in pure form may be characterized by one or more properties. In some aspects, the thermoplastic copolyester composition or polymeric component or polymer has a maximum load of from about 10 Newtons to about 100 Newtons, or from about 15 Newtons to about 50 Newtons, or from about 20 Newtons to about 40 Newtons; or any load value or amount of load values within any of the above ranges of load values or any range of load values comprising a subset of any of the above ranges when determined using the cyclic tensile test method described herein.The tensile strength of the thermoplastic copolyester composition or component of the thermoplastic copolyester composition or a thermoplastic copolyester copolymer in pure form is another important physical property. The thermoplastic copolyester composition or component or copolymer may have a tensile strength of from 5 kilograms per square centimeter to 25 kilograms per square centimeter, or from 10 kilograms per square centimeter to 23 kilograms per square centimeter, or from 15 kilograms per square centimeter to 22 kilograms per square centimeter; or any stress value or set of stress values within any of the above ranges of stress values or any range of stress values comprising a subset of any of the above ranges when determined using the cyclic tensile test method described herein.The thermoplastic copolyester composition or polymeric component of the thermoplastic copolyester composition or a thermoplastic copolyester copolymer in pure form may have a tensile modulus of from about 2 megapascals to about 20 megapascals or from about 5 megapascals to about 15 megapascals when determined using the cyclic tensile test method described herein; or any stress value or amount of stress values within any of the above ranges of stress values or any range of stress values comprising a subset of any of the above ranges.Exemplary, but non-limiting, polyester thermoplastic elastomers, including thermoplastic copolyesters that can be used in the disclosed methods, foams, and articles, include "HYTREL" 3078, "HYTREL" 4068, and "HYTREL" 4556 (DuPont, Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.); "PELPRENE" P30B, P40B, and P40H (Toyobo, U.S.A. Inc., New York, New York, U.S.A.); "TRIEL" 5300; "TRIEL" 5400; and mixtures thereof (Samyang Corporation, Korea); "KEYFLEX" BT1028D, BT1033D, BT1035D, BT1040D, BT1045D and BT1047D (LG Chem, Korea); and "KOPEL" KP3340, KP3346, KP3347, KP3942 (Colon Plastics, Inc., Korea).The disclosed thermoplastic copolyester compositions may further comprise one or more ionomers, such as one of the "SURLYN" polymers (DuPont, Wilmington, Delaware). Ionic foams described herein can be prepared by a process / method comprising incorporating a composition described herein and physically foaming the composition to form a copolyester thermoplastic foam having a density of about 0.7 grams per cubic centimeter or less, or 0.5 grams per cubic centimeter or less, or 0.4 grams per cubic centimeter or less, or 0.3 grams per cubic centimeter or less. The method may comprise inflating the composition to produce an article or component comprising the thermoplastic copolyester foam. In some examples, the method of forming the thermoplastic copolyester foam comprises injection molding a blend having a composition as described herein and a supercritical fluid (e.g., supercritical carbon dioxide or supercritical nitrogen) in a mold and removing the thermoplastic copolyester foam from the mold.The disclosed thermoplastic copolyester compositions may further comprise one or more thermoplastic polyurethanes including thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers such as "FORTIMO" (Mitsui Chemicals, Inc., Tokyo, Japan); "TEXIN" (Covestro LLC, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA); and "BOUNCELL-X" (Lubrizol Advanced Materials, Inc., Brecksville, Ohio, USA).The disclosed thermoplastic copolyester compositions may further comprise one or more olefinic polymers. Olefinic polymers may include ethylene-based copolymers, propylene-based copolymers, and butene-based copolymers. In some aspects, the olefinic polymer is an ethylene-based copolymer, such as a styrene-ethylene / butylene-styrene (SEBS) copolymer; an ethylene-propylene-diene monomer (EPDM) copolymer; an ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymer; an ethylene-alkyl acrylate (EAA) copolymer; an ethylene-alkyl methacrylate (EAMA) copolymer; any copolymer thereof; and any mixture thereof. In some aspects, a ratio V of the total weight parts of the olefinic polymers present in the composition to the total weight parts of the thermoplastic copolyesters in the composition is about 0.0 to about 0.6, about 0.0 to about 0.4, about 0.01 to about 0.4, or about 0.01 to about 0.6, or about 0.1 to about 0.4.The disclosed thermoplastic copolyester compositions may further comprise an ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymer. The ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymer may have a range of vinyl acetate levels, for example, about 50 percent to about 90 percent, about 50 percent to about 80 percent, about 5 percent to about 50 percent, about 10 percent to about 45 percent, about 10 percent to about 30 percent, about 30 percent to about 45 percent, or about 20 percent to about 35 percent, based on a total weight of the copolymer.The disclosed thermoplastic copolyester compositions may further comprise an ethylene-vinyl alcohol (EVOH) copolymer. The EVOH copolymer may have a range of vinyl alcohol contents, for example, about 50 percent to about 90 percent, about 50 percent to about 80 percent, about 5 percent to about 50 percent, about 10 percent to about 45 percent, about 10 percent to about 30 percent, about 30 percent to about 45 percent, or about 20 percent to about 35 percent, based on a total weight of the copolymer.Second Thermoplastic CompositionsHaving described the foams and methods for their formation, we apply to the second thermoplastic composition. In accordance with the various aspects, the disclosed foam article includes a second thermoplastic composition disposed on at least an outer surface of the foam. For example, the second thermoplastic composition may be a polymeric layer or coating or film. In some aspects, the second thermoplastic composition has a higher abrasion resistance than the foam component. In another aspect, the second thermoplastic composition has a higher coefficient of friction than the first thermoplastic composition of the foam component. In another aspect, the second thermoplastic composition has a higher durometer hardness than the foam component. In other aspects, the second thermoplastic composition has a higher specific gravity than the foam component. In another aspect, the second thermoplastic composition has a higher concentration of non-polymeric components, such as fillers and pigments, than the first thermoplastic composition of the foam component. In yet another aspect, the second thermoplastic composition has two or more of a higher abrasion resistance, a higher coefficient of friction, a higher durometer hardness, a higher specific gravity, and a higher concentration of non-polymeric constituents as compared to the foam component or the first thermoplastic composition of the foam component. In one aspect, the second thermoplastic composition is structurally different from the first thermoplastic composition, as described below. Alternatively, the second thermoplastic composition is structurally the same as the first thermoplastic composition. The second thermoplastic composition may be integral with the foam component or may be a separate component operatively coupled to the foam component as described herein.In one aspect, the first thermoplastic composition may be structurally the same as or structurally different from the second thermoplastic composition. Here, the first thermoplastic composition has one or more chemical structural features that are the same as or different from the second thermoplastic composition. In one aspect, the structural difference is based on the chemical structure of the first thermoplastic elastomer being different from the chemical structure of all second thermoplastic elastomers present in the second thermoplastic composition (e.g., different position or stereochemical groups). In another aspect, the structural difference is based on a number average molecular weight of the first thermoplastic elastomer being different from a number average molecular weight of the second thermoplastic elastomer, wherein the first and second thermoplastic elastomers have the same chemical structure. In another aspect, the first structural difference is based on a concentration of the first thermoplastic elastomer in the first thermoplastic composition being different from a concentration of the second thermoplastic elastomer in the second thermoplastic composition, wherein the first and second thermoplastic elastomers have the same chemical structure and the same number average molecular weights. In yet another aspect, the structural difference is based on each combination of the chemical structure, the number average molecular weight, and the concentration being different. For example, a first thermoplastic composition comprising a thermoplastic copolyester elastomer is structurally different from a second thermoplastic composition comprising a styrene copolymer thermoplastic elastomer or comprising a polyurethane thermoplastic elastomer based on the first and second thermoplastic compositions comprising thermoplastic elastomers having different chemical structures. In another example, a first thermoplastic composition comprising a first copolyester thermoplastic elastomer having 50,000 daltons is structurally different from a second thermoplastic composition comprising a second copolyester thermoplastic elastomer having 100,000 daltons having the same chemical structure as the first thermoplastic copolyester having 50,000 daltons based on the number average molecular weight. In another example, a second thermoplastic composition comprising the second 100,000 dalton thermoplastic copolyester elastomer having the same chemical structure as the first 50,000 dalton thermoplastic copolyester and also comprising the first 50,000 dalton thermoplastic copolyester would still be structurally different from the first thermoplastic composition due to the presence of the 100,000 dalton thermoplastic composition in the second thermoplastic composition. In yet another example, a first thermoplastic elastomer comprising 5 wt % of a first 50,000 dalton thermoplastic copolyester is structurally different from a second thermoplastic elastomer comprising 95 wt % of the first 50,000 dalton thermoplastic copolyester.In some aspects, a second thermoplastic composition includes at least 90 wt %, or at least 95 wt %, or at least 99 wt %, of a thermoplastic copolyester as disclosed herein based on the total weight of the second thermoplastic composition. In some instances, the polymeric component of the second thermoplastic composition consists essentially of only one or more disclosed thermoplastic copolyesters.The second thermoplastic composition may be disposed on at least an outer surface of the foam component. For example, if the foam article is a midsole, the second thermoplastic composition may be present on all or a portion of the bottom-facing (bottom) surface of the midsole, or on all or a portion of a lateral surface of the midsole, or any combination thereof.In certain aspects, the disclosed methods include integrally forming the second thermoplastic composition with the first component. For example, the polymeric material for the first component, e.g., a disclosed first thermoplastic copolyester composition, and the second thermoplastic composition may be sequentially placed in a mold during an injection molding process to provide a unitary component having a foam portion and a second portion comprising the second thermoplastic composition. In this aspect, a mold having a first mold portion with a mold surface may be provided. The second thermoplastic composition may be added to the mold to form a layer of the second thermoplastic composition on at least a portion of the mold surface. The first thermoplastic composition for the first component, e.g., a disclosed thermoplastic copolyester composition, may be injected into the mold containing the second thermoplastic composition and foamed while in contact with the second thermoplastic composition. The resulting injection molded component is a unitary component with the second thermoplastic composition bonded to the foam component. Alternatively or additionally, the second thermoplastic composition may be disposed on the outer surface of the foam component during a compression molding step. For example, a foam component may be produced, for example, by injection molding, and the foam component may then be compression molded in a mold containing the second thermoplastic composition, and the second thermoplastic composition bonds to the surface of the foam during the compression molding process.The second thermoplastic composition may be provided as a discrete layer or film for the injection mold or die. For example, the layer or film forming the second thermoplastic composition may be inserted into an injection mold and held against a target surface of the mold via vacuum orifices, electrostatic charge, or other methods. The layer or film can be adapted to the target surface of the mold, for example, by the application of heat or vacuum before or after insertion into the mold. The first thermoplastic composition may then be injected into the mold containing the film and foamed as described herein. Thereby, the second thermoplastic composition of the layer or film becomes an integral part of the molded component.Alternatively or additionally, the second thermoplastic composition may be disposed on the foam component after the foam component is formed. According to some of the disclosed methods, the second thermoplastic composition is provided as a layer or film provided separately from the foam component and then operatively coupled such that the second thermoplastic composition forms a layer on the target portion of the outer surface of the foam. The second thermoplastic composition may be coupled to the exterior surface of a foam component or article using any suitable method. In one aspect, the second thermoplastic composition can be adhesively laminated to the foam component. In another aspect, the second thermoplastic composition may be coupled to the foam component by, for example, thermally laminating to an outer surface of the foam. For example, heat may be applied to an outer surface of the foam component, to a surface of the second thermoplastic composition, or to both to soften or melt the respective heated(s) surface(s), and the two surfaces may be bonded when one or both is in the softened or molten state. In one aspect, the second thermoplastic composition may be coupled to the foam component using a flame lamination process.The second thermoplastic composition may be provided as a polymeric coating. For example, a polymeric coating may be formed by applying a liquid polymeric material to the foam component, for example, by spraying, dip coating, drum coating, brushing, or a combination thereof. The liquid second thermoplastic composition may then be dried or cured while in contact with the midsole.The polymeric coating may be formed by applying a powdered second thermoplastic composition to the foam component, for example, by spraying, powder coating, electrostatic coating, drum coating, or a combination thereof. In some aspects, an adhesive could be used to attach the powder to the midsole and / or a coating can be applied over the powder to hold it in place on the foam component. Once the powder is attached to the midsole, it may be left in the form of a powder or it may be treated to form a more uniform coating, for example, by heating for melting, by applying a solvent for dissolution, etc.Alternatively, the second thermoplastic composition may take the form of a separate element that is applied to all or part of an outer surface of the foam component when the midsole is incorporated into an article of footwear. For example, the foam component may be a midsole component of an article of footwear, and the second thermoplastic composition may be an edge or a sealing tape applied around a periphery of the midsole. The second thermoplastic composition may be an extension of an outsole covering all or part of the lower surface of the midsole and enclosing and covering at least part of the sidewall of the midsole. The second thermoplastic composition may be the "shell" portion of a core-shell sole structure that covers both the lower surface and the side walls of the midsole and that is attached to the upper portion of the article of footwear.The resulting article comprising the first component having the second thermoplastic composition may be characterized by a good bond strength between the second thermoplastic composition and the foam component. The ply adhesion strength between the second thermoplastic composition and the foam component is greater than 2.5 kg force / centimeter or greater than 3.0 kg force / centimeter when determined using the ply adhesion test method described herein.Properties of the second thermoplastic compositionThe disclosed second thermoplastic composition may be characterized by one or more properties.In one aspect, the polymeric layer comprised of the second thermoplastic composition forms a water-resistant barrier on at least a portion of the outer surface of the first foam component. Here, the second thermoplastic composition of the polymeric layer reduces or prevents water absorption by the open cell foam microstructure of the first foam component.In one aspect, the foams and articles with the polymeric layer described herein have advantageous water absorption capacity. In other words, the polymeric layer foam articles disclosed herein do not absorb either water or a significant amount of water during use of the article. For example, the foam articles or foam components with the polymeric layer have a water absorbency at 2 hours of less than 5 percent or less than 4 percent or less than 3 percent or less than 2 percent when determined using the water absorbency test method described herein. In comparison, an equivalent foam article or component lacking the polymeric layer may have a water absorption capacity at 2 hours of greater than 2 percent, or from about 2 percent to about 30 percent, or from about 3 percent to about 25 percent, or from about 5 percent to about 20 percent, when determined using the water absorption capacity test method described herein. The disclosed foam component or article having the disclosed polymeric layer may have reduced water absorption compared to an equivalent foam component or article without the polymeric layer. For example, the disclosed foam component or article may have a water absorption capacity at 2 hours that is about 20 percent less, or about 30 percent less, or about 50 percent less than a water absorption capacity at 5 minutes for an equivalent foam component or article without the polymeric layer when determined using the water absorption capacity test method described herein. The disclosed foam component or article may have a water absorption capacity at 5 minutes that is at least 2 percentage points less or at least 3 percentage points less or at least 4 percentage points less or at least 5 percentage less or at least 6 percentage points less or at least 7 percentage points less or at least 8 percentage points less, or at least 9 percentage points less or at least 10 percentage points less or at least 11 percentage points less or at least 12 percentage points less or at least 13 percentage points less or at least 14 percentage points less or at least 15 percentage points less or at least 20 percentage points less or at least 25 percentage points less or at least 30 percentage points less than a water absorption capacity at 5 minutes for an equivalent foam component or article without the polymeric layer when determined using the water absorption capacity test method described hereinIn some aspects, the second thermoplastic composition or elastomer has a maximum stress of from about 10 Newtons to about 100 Newtons, or from about 15 Newtons to about 50 Newtons, or from about 20 Newtons to about 40 Newtons; or any stress value or amount of stress values within any of the above ranges of stress values or any range of stress values that comprises a subset of any of the above ranges when determined using the cyclic tensile test method described herein.The tensile strength of the second thermoplastic composition or second thermoplastic elastomer is another important physical property. The second thermoplastic composition or resin may have a tensile strength of from 5 kilograms per square centimeter to 25 kilograms per square centimeter, or from 10 kilograms per square centimeter to 23 kilograms per square centimeter, or from 15 kilograms per square centimeter to 22 kilograms per square centimeter; or any stress value or set of stress values within any of the above ranges of stress values or any range of stress values comprising a subset of any of the above ranges when determined using the cyclic tensile test method described herein.The second thermoplastic composition or elastomer may have a tensile modulus of from about 2 megapascals to about 20 megapascals, or from about 5 megapascals to about 15 megapascals, when determined using the cyclic tensile test method described herein; or any stress value or amount of stress values within any of the above ranges of stress values or any range of stress values comprising a subset of any of the above ranges.The second thermoplastic composition may have an acronym abrasion of less than 0.50 cubic centimeters loss, optionally less than 0.40 cubic centimeters loss, less than 0.30 cubic centimeters loss, less than 0.20 cubic centimeters loss, or less than 0.10 cubic centimeters loss as determined using the acronym abrasion test. The second thermoplastic composition may have an acronym abrasion of about 0.05 cubic centimeter loss, about 0.10 cubic centimeter loss, about 0.15 cubic centimeter loss, about 0.20 cubic centimeter loss, about 0.25 cubic centimeter loss, about 0.30 cubic centimeter loss, about 0.35 cubic centimeter loss, about 0.40 cubic centimeter loss, about 0.45 cubic centimeter loss, or about 0.50 cubic centimeter loss as determined using the acronym abrasion test, any range of abrasion values encompassed by any of the above values, or any combination of the above abrasion values.The second thermoplastic composition may have an acronym abrasion of less than 500 milligrams loss, optionally less than 400 milligrams loss, less than 300 milligrams loss, less than 200 milligrams loss, or less than 100 milligrams loss as determined using the acronym abrasion test. The second thermoplastic composition may have an acronym abrasion of about 50 milligrams loss, about 100 milligrams loss, about 150 milligrams loss, about 200 milligrams loss, about 250 milligrams loss, about 300 milligrams loss, about 350 milligrams loss, about 400 milligrams loss, about 450 milligrams loss, or about 500 milligrams loss as determined using the Acronym abrasion test, any range of abrasion values encompassed by any of the foregoing values, or any combination of the foregoing abrasion values.The second thermoplastic composition may have a DIN abrasion of less than 0.30 cubic centimeter loss, optionally less than 0.20 cubic centimeter loss, less than 0.10 cubic centimeter loss, less than 0.05 cubic centimeter loss, or less than 0.03 cubic centimeter loss as determined using the DIN abrasion test. The second thermoplastic composition may have a DIN abrasion of about 0.01 cubic centimeter loss, about 0.05 cubic centimeter loss, about 0.10 cubic centimeter loss, about 0.15 cubic centimeter loss, about 0.20 cubic centimeter loss, about 0.25 cubic centimeter loss, or about 0.30 cubic centimeter loss as determined using the DIN abrasion test, any range of abrasion values encompassed by any of the above values, or any combination of the above abrasion values.The second thermoplastic composition may have a DIN abrasion of less than 300 milligrams loss, optionally less than 250 milligrams loss, optionally less than 200 milligrams loss, optionally less than 150 milligrams loss, optionally less than 100 milligrams loss, optionally less than 80 milligrams loss, optionally less than 50 milligrams loss, or optionally less than 30 milligrams, as determined using the DIN abrasion test. The second thermoplastic composition may have a DIN abrasion of about 10 milligrams loss, about 50 milligrams loss, about 100 milligrams loss, about 150 milligrams loss, about 200 milligrams loss, about 250 milligrams loss, or about 300 milligrams loss as determined using the DIN abrasion test, any range of abrasion values encompassed by any of the foregoing values, or any combination of the foregoing abrasion values.The second thermoplastic composition described herein has improved traction properties when incorporated into an article. In one aspect, the coefficient of friction of the second thermoplastic composition may be used to measure traction properties.The second thermoplastic composition may have a dry dynamic friction coefficient (COF) on a dry surface (e.g., a smooth, flat, or textured surface such as wood board, concrete, asphalt, laminate, brick, or ceramic tile) of greater than 0.5, optionally greater than 0.7, greater than 0.8, greater than 0.9, greater than 1.0, as determined using the dry outsole friction coefficient test. The second thermoplastic composition may have a dry dynamic COF of greater than 0.15, optionally greater than 0.2, greater than 0.25, or greater than 0.3, using the dry top coefficient of friction test.The second thermoplastic composition may have a wet dynamic COF of greater than 0.25, optionally greater than 0.30, greater than 0.35, greater than 0.40, or greater than 0.50, as determined using the wet outsole friction coefficient test. The second thermoplastic composition may have a wet dynamic COF of greater than 0.15, optionally greater than 0.2, greater than 0.25, or greater than 0.3, using the wet top coefficient of friction test.It may be desirable that the dynamic coefficient of friction for the same dry and wet surface (e.g., plain concrete or floor) be as similar as possible. In one aspect, the difference between the dynamic coefficient of friction of the dry surface and the wet surface is less than 15 percent. In another aspect, the difference between the dynamic coefficient of friction of the dry surface and the wet surface is about 0 percent, about 1 percent, about 2 percent, about 3 percent, about 4 percent, about 5 percent, about 6 percent, about 7 percent, about 8 percent, about 9 percent, about 10 percent, about 11 percent, about 12 percent, about 13 percent, about 14 percent, or about 15 percent, any range of percentages encompassed by any of the foregoing values, or any combination of the foregoing percentages.The second thermoplastic composition may have a melting temperature of from about 100 degrees Celsius to about 210 degrees Celsius, optionally from about 110 degrees Celsius to about 195 degrees Celsius, from about 120 degrees Celsius to about 180 degrees Celsius, or from about 120 degrees Celsius to about 170 degrees Celsius. The melting temperature of the second thermoplastic composition may be within about 50 degrees Celsius or about 40 degrees Celsius or about 30 degrees Celsius or about 20 degrees Celsius of the first thermoplastic composition.The second thermoplastic composition may have a melt flow rate of at least 0.2 grams per 10 minutes, optionally at least 5, at least 10, at least 15, at least 20, at least 25, at least 30, at least 40, or at least 50 grams per 10 minutes as determined using ASTM D1238-13 at 160 degrees Celsius using a weight of 2.16 kg. The second thermoplastic composition may have a melt flow rate of at least 0.2 grams per 10 minutes, optionally at least 5, at least 10, at least 15, at least 20, at least 25, at least 30, at least 40, or at least 50 grams per 10 minutes, determined using ASTM D1238-13 at 200 degrees Celsius using a weight of 10 kg.The second thermoplastic composition may have a melting temperature of from about 100 degrees Celsius to about 210 degrees Celsius, optionally from about 110 degrees Celsius to about 195 degrees Celsius, from about 120 degrees Celsius to about 180 degrees Celsius, or from about 120 degrees Celsius to about 170 degrees Celsius.The second thermoplastic composition may have a melt flow index of about 5 to about 40, or about 10 to about 20, or about 20 to about 30, determined at 210 degrees Celsius using a 2.16 kg weight. Alternatively or additionally, the second thermoplastic composition may have a melt flow index of about 5 to about 40, or about 10 to about 20, or about 20 to about 30, determined at 220 degrees Celsius using a 2.16 kg weight. Alternatively or additionally, the second thermoplastic composition may have a melt flow index of about 5 to about 40, or about 10 to about 20, or about 20 to about 30, determined at 230 degrees Celsius using a 2.16 kg weight.The second thermoplastic composition may have a durometer Shore A hardness of less than 90 or less than 85 or less than 80. The second thermoplastic composition may have a durometer Shore A hardness of greater than 60 or greater than 65. The second thermoplastic composition may have a durometer Shore A hardness of from about 50 to about 90 Shore A, optionally from about 55 to about 85 Shore A, from about 60 to about 80 Shore A, or from about 60 to about 70 Shore A.In the foamed article, the second thermoplastic composition may have a specific gravity of from about 0.8 to about 1.5, optionally from about 0.85 to about 1.30, or from about 0.88 to about 1.20. Alternatively, the second thermoplastic composition in the foamed article may be a multicellular foam having a specific gravity of from about 0.15 to about 0.60, or from about 0.15 to about 0.40, or from about 0.15 to about 0.25.The second thermoplastic composition may have two or more of the first properties, or optionally three or more, four or more, five or more, six or more, seven or more, or all ten of the first properties provided above.In addition to the first properties, the second thermoplastic composition may have one or more second properties. The second thermoplastic composition may have a glass transition temperature of less than 50 degrees Celsius, optionally less than 30 degrees Celsius, less than 0 degrees Celsius, less than -10 degrees Celsius, or less than -20 degrees Celsius. The second thermoplastic composition may have a tensile stress at break of greater than 7 megapascals, optionally greater than 8 megapascals or greater than 8 megapascals, determined using ASTM DE-412 at 25 degrees Celsius. The second thermoplastic composition may have a tensile stress at a modulus of 300 percent greater than 2 megapascals, optionally greater than 2.5 megapascals or greater than 3 megapascals, determined using ASTM DE-412 at 25 degrees Celsius. The second thermoplastic composition may have an elongation at break greater than 450 percent, optionally greater than 500 percent or greater than 550 percent, determined using ASTM DE-412 at 25 degrees Celsius. The second thermoplastic composition may have two or more of the second properties, or optionally three or more or all four of the second properties.In accordance with the various aspects, the disclosed foam article includes a polymeric layer disposed on at least an outer surface of the foam component. For example, the polymeric layer may be a polymer coating or a polymer film. In some aspects, the polymeric layer acts as a fluid barrier that controls or prevents water absorption by the foam article. The polymeric layer may be integral with the foam component or may be a separate component operably coupled to the foam component as described herein.The polymeric layer may be disposed on at least one exterior surface of the foam component. For example, if the foam article is a midsole, the coating may be on all or a portion of the midsole sidewall or on all or a portion of a bottom-facing (bottom) surface of the midsole or on all or a portion of an upward-facing (top) surface of the midsole, or any combination thereof. The polymeric layer may be disposed on at least one surface that may be exposed to moisture during normal use of the finished article, e.g., an article of footwear.When disposed on the foam component, the polymeric layer has an average thickness of from about 0.01 millimeters to about 3 millimeters, or from about 0.03 millimeters to about 2 millimeters, or from about 0.1 millimeters to about 1 millimeter.Thermoplastic ElastomersThe first and second thermoplastic compositions described herein may comprise one or more thermoplastic elastomers. Exemplary thermoplastic elastomers include a homopolymer thermoplastic elastomer and copolymer thermoplastic elastomers. The thermoplastic elastomer may be a random copolymer thermoplastic elastomer. The thermoplastic elastomer may be a block copolymer thermoplastic elastomer. The term "polymer" refers to a polymerized molecule having one or more monomer species and includes homopolymers and copolymers. The term "copolymer" refers to a polymer having two or more monomer species and includes terpolymers (e.g., copolymers having three monomer species). For example, the thermoplastic elastomer may be a block copolymer having repeating blocks of polymer units of the same chemical structure (segments) that are relatively harder (hard segments) and repeating blocks of polymer segments that are relatively softer (soft segments). In various aspects, in block copolymers, including block copolymers having repeating hard segments and soft segments, physical cross-links may be present within the blocks or between the blocks or both within and between the blocks. Specific examples of hard segments include isocyanate segments and polyamide segments. Specific examples of soft segments include polyether segments and polyester segments. As used herein, the polymer segment may be referred to as a particular type of polymer segment, such as an isocyanate segment, a polyamide segment, a polyether segment, a polyester segment, and the like. It is understood that the chemical structure of the segment is derived from the described chemical structure. For example, an isocyanate segment is a polymerized unit having an isocyanate functional group. When referring to a block of polymer segments of a particular chemical structure, the block may contain up to 10 mole % segments of other chemical structures. As used herein, a polyether segment is intended to contain, for example, up to 10 mole % of non-polyether segments.The thermoplastic elastomer may include one or more of a polyester thermoplastic elastomer, a polyurea thermoplastic elastomer, a polyimide thermoplastic elastomer, a polyamide thermoplastic elastomer, a polyether thermoplastic elastomer, a polyurethane thermoplastic elastomer, a polyolefin thermoplastic elastomer, an ionomer thermoplastic elastomer, any copolymer thereof, or any mixture thereof. It should be understood that other thermoplastic polymer materials not specifically described below are also contemplated for use in the coated fiber and / or the uncoated fiber described herein.The second thermoplastic composition may contain one or more thermoplastic polyamide elastomers such as PEBA or polyether block polyamides. The second thermoplastic composition may comprise one or more metallocene catalyzed block copolymers of ethylene and α-olefins having from 4 to about 8 carbon atoms. The second thermoplastic composition may comprise one or more styrene thermoplastic copolymers, including styrene block copolymers such as poly(styrene-butadiene-styrene), poly(styrene-ethylene-co-butylene-styrene), and poly(styrene-isoprene-styrene), and combinations thereof.The second thermoplastic composition may contain at least one thermoplastic polyester, including at least one thermoplastic copolyester. Exemplary, but non-limiting, thermoplastic copolyester elastomers, including thermoplastic copolyesters that can be used in the disclosed methods, foams, and articles, include "HYTREL" 3078, "HYTREL" 4068, and "HYTREL" 4556 (DuPont, Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.); "PELPRENE" P30B, P40B, and P40H (Toyobo, U.S.A. Inc., New York, New York, U.S.A.); "TRIEL" 5300; "TRIEL" 5400; and mixtures thereof (Samyang Corporation, Korea); "KEYFLEX" BT1028D, BT1033D, BT1035D, BT1040D, BT1045D and BT1047D (LG Chem, Korea); and "KOPEL" KP3340, KP3346, KP3347, KP3942 (Colon Plastics, Inc., Korea). The polymer component of the second thermoplastic composition (i.e., the component consisting of all polymers present in the second polymer material) may comprise at least 80 wt % of copolyester thermoplastic elastomers or at least 90 wt % of copolyester thermoplastic elastomers or at least 95 wt % of copolyester thermoplastic elastomers based on a total weight of the second thermoplastic composition.The second thermoplastic composition may comprise one or more thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs) such as "FORTIMO" (Mitsui Chemicals, Inc., Tokyo, Japan); "TEXIN" (Covestro LLC, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA); and "BOUNCELL-X" (Lubrizol Advanced Materials, Inc., Brecksville, Ohio, USA). The polymer component of the second thermoplastic composition (i.e., the component consisting of all polymers present in the second thermoplastic composition) may comprise at least 80 wt % TPU elastomers or at least 90 wt % TPU elastomers or at least 95 wt % TPU elastomers based on a total weight of the second thermoplastic composition. The second thermoplastic composition may include one or more thermoplastic polyurethane hot melt adhesives, such as "NASA-T" melt film (Sambu Fine Chemicals, Gimhae-si, Gyneongsangdam-do, Korea).The second thermoplastic composition may comprise a blend of one or more thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers with one or more thermoplastic polymers having different chemical structures. In one aspect, the second thermoplastic composition comprises one or more thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers and one or more ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymers. In another aspect, the second thermoplastic composition comprises one or more thermoplastic elastomers and one or more polystyrene thermoplastic elastomers, such as one or more SEBS copolymer elastomers.The thermoplastic composition may comprise one or more olefinic polymers. Olefinic polymers may include ethylene-based copolymers, propylene-based copolymers, and butene-based copolymers. The olefinic polymer may be an ethylene-based copolymer, such as a styrene-ethylene / butylene-styrene (SEBS) copolymer; an ethylene-propylene-diene monomer (EPDM) copolymer; an ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymer; an ethylene-vinyl alcohol (EVOH) copolymer; an ethylene-alkyl acrylate (EAA) copolymer; an ethylene-alkyl methacrylate (EAMA) copolymer; any copolymer thereof; and any mixture thereof.The thermoplastic composition may comprise one or more olefinic polymers. Olefinic polymers may include ethylene-based copolymers, propylene-based copolymers, and butene-based copolymers. In some aspects, the olefinic polymer is an ethylene-based copolymer, such as a styrene-ethylene / butylene-styrene (SEBS) copolymer; an ethylene-propylene-diene monomer (EPDM) copolymer; an ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymer; an ethylene-alkyl acrylate (EAA) copolymer; an ethylene-alkyl methacrylate (EAMA) copolymer; any copolymer thereof; and any mixture thereof. In some aspects, a ratio of total weight parts of the olefinic polymers present in the composition to total weight parts of the thermoplastic copolyesters or the second thermoplastic composition in the composition is about 0.0 to about 0.6, about 0.0 to about 0.4, about 0.01 to about 0.4, or about 0.01 to about 0.6, or about 0.1 to about 0.4.The thermoplastic composition may comprise an ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymer. The ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymer may have a range of vinyl acetate levels, for example, about 50 percent to about 90 percent, about 50 percent to about 80 percent, about 5 percent to about 50 percent, about 10 percent to about 45 percent, about 10 percent to about 30 percent, about 30 percent to about 45 percent, or about 20 percent to about 35 percent.The second thermoplastic composition may comprise one or more ionomers, such as one of the "SURLYN" polymers (DuPont, Wilmington, Delaware).The thermoplastic elastomer may have a melting temperature of greater than about 110 degrees Celsius and less than about 210 degrees Celsius or less than about 170 degrees Celsius.The thermoplastic elastomer may have a glass transition temperature of less than 50 degrees Celsius or less than 20 degrees Celsius or less than 0 degrees Celsius or less than -10 degrees Celsius when determined according to ASTM D3418-97 as described below. Thermoplastic polyurethane elastomersThe thermoplastic elastomer may be a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer. The thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer may be a block-polyurethane thermoplastic copolymer. The thermoplastic block-polyurethane copolymer may be a block copolymer having hard segment blocks and soft segment blocks. The hard segments may comprise or consist of isocyanate segments. The soft segments may comprise or consist of polyether segments or polyester segments or a combination of polyether segments and polyester segments. The thermoplastic material may comprise or consist essentially of an elastomeric thermoplastic polyurethane having repeating blocks of hard segments and repeating blocks of soft segments.One or more of the thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers may be prepared by polymerizing one or more isocyanates with one or more polyols to produce copolymer chains having carbamate linkages (-N(CO)O-) as depicted below in Formula 7 below, wherein the isocyanate(s) each preferably have two or more isocyanate (-NCO) groups per molecule, such as 2, 3 or 4 isocyanate groups per molecule (although monofunctional isocyanates may also be optionally included, e.g., as chain termination units). In these aspects, each R 1 and R 2 is independently an aliphatic or aromatic segment. Optionally, each R 2 may be a hydrophilic segment.Unless otherwise indicated, any of the functional groups or chemical compounds described herein may be substituted or unsubstituted. A "substituted" group or chemical compound, such as an alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkenyl, aryl, heteroaryl, alkoxyl, ester, ether, or carboxylic acid ester, refers to an alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkenyl, aryl, heteroaryl, alkoxyl, ester, ether, or carboxylic acid ester group, has at least one hydrogen radical substituted with a non-hydrogen radical (i.e., a substituent). Examples of non-hydrogen radicals (or substituents) include, but are not limited to, alkyl, cycloalkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkenyl, alkynyl, ether, aryl, heteroaryl, heterocycloalkyl, hydroxyl, oxy (or oxo), alkoxyl, ester, thioester, acyl, carboxyl, cyano, nitro, amino, amido, sulfur, and halo. When a substituted alkyl group contains more than one radical other than hydrogen, the substituents may be bonded to the same carbon or two or more different carbon atoms.In addition, the isocyanates can also be chain extended with one or more chain extenders in order to bridge two or more isocyanates. This can produce polyurethane copolymer chains as shown below in Formula 8 where R 3 contains the chain extender. As with each R 1 and R 3 each R 3 is independently an aliphatic or aromatic segment.Each segment R 1 or the first segment in Formulas 7 and 8 may independently have a linear or branched C 3-30- segment based on the particular isocyanate(s) used, and may be aliphatic, aromatic, or a combination of aliphatic portions and an aromatic portion / portions. The term "aliphatic" refers to a saturated or unsaturated organic molecule that does not have a cyclically conjugated ring system with delocalized Pi electrons. In contrast, the term "aromatic" denotes a cyclically conjugated ring system with delocalized Pi electrons, which has a greater stability than a hypothetical ring system with localized Pi electrons.Each segment R 1 may be present in an amount of from 5 to 85% by weight, from 5 to 70% by weight, or from 10 to 50% by weight, based on the total weight of the reactant monomers.In aliphatic aspects (of aliphatic / n isocyanate(s)), each segment R 1 may have a linear aliphatic group, a branched aliphatic group, a cycloaliphatic group, or combinations thereof. For example, each segment R 1 may include a linear or branched C 3-20- alkylene segment (e.g., C 4-15- alkylene, or C 6-10- alkylene), one or more C 3-8- cycloalkylene segments (e.g., cyclopropyl, cyclobutyl, cyclopentyl, cyclohexyl, cycloheptyl, or cyclooctyl), and combinations thereof.Examples of suitable aliphatic diisocyanates for preparing the polyurethane copolymer chains include hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI), isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI), butylene diisocyanate (BDI), bisisocyanatocyclohexylmethane (HMDI), 2,2,4-trimethylhexamethylene diisocyanate (TMDI), bisisocyanatomethylcyclohexane, bisisocyanatomethyltricyclodecane, norbornane diisocyanate (NDI), cyclohexane diisocyanate (CHDI), 4,4'-dicyclohexylmethane diisocyanate (H12MDI), diisocyanatododecane, lysine diisocyanate, and combinations thereof.In aromatic aspects (from aromatic / n isocyanate(s)), each segment R 1 may have one or more aromatic groups such as phenyl, naphthyl, tetrahydronaphthyl, phenanthrenyl, biphenylenyl, indenyl, indenyl, anthracenyl and fluorenyl. Unless otherwise indicated, an aromatic group may be an unsubstituted aromatic group or a substituted aromatic group and may also have heteroaromatic groups. "Heteroaromatic" refers to monocyclic or polycyclic (e.g., fused bicyclic and fused tricyclic) aromatic ring systems wherein one to four ring atoms are selected from oxygen, nitrogen or sulfur and the remaining ring atoms are carbon and wherein the ring system is linked to the remainder of the molecule by one of the ring atoms. Examples of suitable heteroaryl groups include pyridyl, pyrazinyl, pyrimidinyl, pyrrolyl, pyrazolyl, imidazolyl, thiazolyl, tetrazolyl, oxazolyl, isoazolyl, thiadiazolyl, oxadiazolyl, furanyl, quinolinyl, isoquinolinyl, benzoxazolyl, benzimidazolyl, and benzothiazolyl.Examples of suitable aromatic diisocyanates for preparing the polyurethane copolymer chains include toluene diisocyanate (TDI), TDI adducts with trimethyloyl propane (TMP), methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI), xylene diisocyanate (XDI), tetramethyl xylylene diisocyanate (TMXDI), hydrogenated xylene diisocyanate (HXDI), naphthalene 1,5-diisocyanate (NDI), 1,5-tetrahydro naphthalene diisocyanate, para phenylene diisocyanate (PPDI), 3,3'-dimethyl diphtheria nyl-1-4,4'-diisocyanate (DDDI), 4,4'-dibenzyl diisocyanate (DBDI), 4-chloro-1,3-phenylene diisocyanate, and combinations thereof. In some aspects, the copolymer chains are substantially free of aromatic groups.The polyurethane copolymer chains can be prepared from diisocyanates including HMDI, TDI, MDI, H 12- aliphatics, and combinations thereof. For example, the coated fiber of the present disclosure described herein may have one or more polyurethane copolymer chains made from diisocyanates including HMDI, TDI, MDI, H 12- aliphatics, and combinations thereof.Commercially available thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers of greater hydrophilicity suitable for the present use include, but are not limited to, those under the trade name "TECOPHILIC" such as TG-500, TG-2000, SP-80A-150, SP-93A-100, SP-60D-60 (Lubrizol, Countryside, IL), "ESTANE" (e.g., 58238, T470A-, 2350-75A-030; Lubrizol, Countryside, IL) and "ELASTOLLAN" (e.g., 9500, B70A; BASF).The thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer may be partially covalently crosslinked, as previously described herein.The second thermoplastic composition may comprise one or more thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs) such as "FORTIMO" (Mitsui Chemicals, Inc., Tokyo, Japan); "TEXIN" (Covestro LLC, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA); and "BOUNCELL-X" (Lubrizol Advanced Materials, Inc., Brecksville, Ohio, USA). The polymer component of the second thermoplastic composition (i.e., the component consisting of all polymers present in the second thermoplastic composition) may comprise at least 80 wt % TPUs or at least 90 wt % TPUs or at least 95 wt % TPUs based on a total weight of the second thermoplastic composition. The second thermoplastic composition may comprise one or more thermoplastic polyurethane hot melt adhesives, such as "NASA-T" melt film (Sambu Fine Chemicals, Gimhae-si, Gyneongsangdam-do, Korea).Block Copolyamide Thermoplastic ElastomersIn various aspects, the second thermoplastic composition described herein may comprise one or more thermoplastic elastomers comprising a block copolyamide thermoplastic elastomer. The thermoplastic block copolymer amide may comprise a number of polyamide segments having different polyamide chemical structures (e.g., polyamide 6 segments, polyamide 11 segments, polyamide 12 segments, polyamide 66 segments, etc.). The polyamide segments having different chemical structures may be arranged randomly or may be arranged as repeating blocks.The block copolymer amide may comprise repeating blocks of hard segments and repeating blocks of soft segments. The hard segments may comprise polyamide segments and the soft segments may comprise non-polyamide segments. The thermoplastic elastomer may be an elastomeric thermoplastic copolyamide comprising or consisting of block copolyamides having hard segment repeating blocks and soft segment repeating blocks. In block copolymers, including block copolymers having repeating hard segments and soft segments, physical cross-links may be present within the blocks or between the blocks or both within and between the blocks.The polyamide segments of the block copolymer amide may include or consist of polyamide 6 segments, polyamide 11 segments, polyamide 12 segments, polyamide 66 segments, or any combination thereof. The polyamide segments of the copolyamide may be randomly arranged or may be arranged as repeating blocks. In a particular example, the polyamide segments may comprise or consist of polyamide 6 segments or polyamide 12 segments or both polyamide 6 segments and polyamide 12 segments. In the example where the polyamide segments of the copolyamide comprise polyamide 6 segments and polyamide 12 segments, the segments may be randomly arranged. The non-polyamide segments of the copolyamide may comprise or consist of polyether segments, polyester segments or both polyether segments and polyester segments. The copolyamide may be a block copolymer amide or a random copolyamide. The thermoplastic copolyamide can be formed from the polycondensation of a polyamide oligomer or prepolymer with a second oligomer prepolymer to form a block copolymer (i.e., a block copolymer having polyamide segments. Optionally, the second prepolymer may be a hydrophilic prepolymer.Exemplary commercially available copolymers include, but are not limited to, those available under the trade names VESTAMID® (Evonik Industries); PELATA-MID® (Arkema) such as product code H2694; PEBAX® (Arkema) such as product code "PEBAX MH1657" and "PEBAX MV1074"; PEBAX® RNEW (Arkema); GRILAMID® (EMS-Chemie AG), or other similar materials manufactured by various other suppliers.Polyolefin Thermoplastic ElastomersIn some aspects, the thermoplastic elastomers may comprise or consist essentially of a thermoplastic polyolefin. Examples of thermoplastic polyolefins useful in the disclosed second thermoplastic compositions may include, but are not limited to, olefin thermoplastic elastomers (e.g., metallocene catalyzed block copolymers of ethylene and α-olefins having from 4 to about 8 carbon atoms). The thermoplastic polyolefin may be a polymer comprising an ethylene-α-olefin copolymer, an ethylene-propylene rubber (EPDM), a polybutene, a polyisobutylene, a poly-4-methylpentene-1-ene, a polyisoprene, a polybutadiene, an ethylene-methacrylic acid copolymer, and an olefin elastomer such as a dynamically crosslinked polymer obtained from polypropylene (PP) and an ethylene-propylene rubber (EPDM), and mixtures or mixtures of the above. Further exemplary thermoplastic polyolefins useful in the disclosed second thermoplastic compositions are polymers of cycloolefins such as cyclopentene or norbornene.The polyolefin may be a polyethylene copolymer derived from monomers of monoolefins and diolefins copolymerized with vinyl, acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, ethyl acrylate, vinyl alcohol and / or vinyl acetate. Polyolefin copolymers having vinyl acetate-derived units may be a copolymer having a high vinyl acetate content, e.g., greater than about 50 wt % of the composition derived from vinyl acetate.The thermoplastic polyolefin may be a blend of thermoplastic polyolefins, such as a blend of two or more polyolefins disclosed hereinabove. For example, a suitable blend of thermoplastic polyolefins may be a blend of polypropylene with polyisobutylene, polypropylene with polyethylene (e.g., PP / HDPE, PP / LDPE), or blends of various types of polyethylene (e.g., LDPE / HDPE).The thermoplastic polyolefin may be a copolymer of suitable monoolefin monomers or a copolymer of a suitable monoolefin monomer and a vinyl monomer. Exemplary thermoplastic polyolefin copolymers include ethylene / propylene copolymers, linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE), and mixtures thereof with low density polyethylene (LDPE), propylene / butene-1-ene copolymers, propylene / isobutylene copolymers, ethylene / butene-1-ene copolymers, ethylene / hexene copolymers, ethylene / methylpentene copolymers, ethylene / heptene copolymers, ethylene / octene copolymers, propylene / butadiene copolymers, isobutylene / isoprene copolymers, ethylene / alkyl acrylate copolymers, ethylene / alkyl methacrylate copolymers, Ethylene / vinyl acetate copolymers and their copolymers with carbon monoxide or ethylene / acrylic acid copolymers and their salts (ionomers), and terpolymers of ethylene with propylene and a diene such as hexadiene, dicyclopentadiene or ethylidene norbornene; and mixtures of such copolymers with each other and with the polymers mentioned above under 1), for example polypropylene / ethylene-propylene copolymers, LDPE / ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers (EVA), LDPE / ethylene-acrylic acid copolymers (EAA), LLDPE / EVA, LLDPE / EAA and alternating or random polyalkylene / carbon monoxide copolymers and mixtures thereof with other polymers, for example polyamides, are not limited thereto.The polyolefin may be a polypropylene. As used herein, the term "polypropylene" is intended to encompass any polymeric composition comprising propylene monomers, either alone or in admixture or copolymer with other randomly selected and oriented polyolefins, dienes, or other monomers (such as ethylene, butylene, and the like). Such term also includes any different configuration and arrangement of constituent monomers (such as atactic, syndiotactic, isotactic, and the like). Thus, the term as applied to fibers is intended to encompass actual long strands, tapes, filaments, and the like of drawn polymer. The polypropylene may have any standard melt flow (by testing); however, standard fiber grade polypropylene resins have ranges of melt flow indices between about 1 and 1000.The polyolefin may be a polyethylene. As used herein, the term "polyethylene" is intended to include any polymeric composition comprising ethylene monomers, either alone or in admixture or copolymer with other randomly selected and oriented polyolefins, dienes or other monomers (such as propylene, butylene and the like). Such term also includes any different configuration and arrangement of constituent monomers (such as atactic, syndiotactic, isotactic, and the like). Thus, the term as applied to fibers is intended to encompass actual long strands, tapes, filaments, and the like of drawn polymer. The polyethylene can have any standard melt flow (by testing); however, standard fiber grade polyethylene resins have ranges of melt flow indices between about 1 and 1000.Thermoplastic ionomer elastomersIn certain aspects, the thermoplastic elastomer may be one or more ionomeric polymers. The ionomeric polymers may have chain units derived from one or more olefins and chain units derived from one or more ethylenically unsaturated acid groups. The compositions may also contain a plurality of cations which ionically crosslink in anionic form of the acid groups in the ionomeric copolymers. The compositions may be substantially only the ionomeric copolymers and metal cations. The ionomeric copolymers may have a melt flow index of about 30 or less, about 20 or less, about 15 or less, about 10 or less, or about 5 or less.The ionomeric copolymers may be terpolymers of ethylene, acrylic acid and methyl acrylate or butyl acrylate. In some aspects, a ratio III of total weight parts of the acrylic acid in the ionomeric copolymers to a total weight of the ionomeric copolymers is about 0.05 to about 0.6, about 0.1 to about 0.6, about 0.1 to about 0.5, about 0.15 to about 0.5, or about 0.2 to about 0.5.The second thermoplastic composition may include one or more ionomers, such as one of the "SURLYN" polymers (DuPont, Wilmington, Delaware).The second thermoplastic composition may include acrylic block copolymer elastomers, such as block copolymers having a first PMMA block, an acrylate block, and a second PMMA block.Styrene Copolymer Thermoplastic ElastomersIn certain aspects, the thermoplastic elastomer is a styrene thermoplastic elastomeric copolymer. Examples of these copolymers include, but are not limited to, styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) block copolymer, a styrene-ethylene / butylene-styrene (SEBS) resin, a polyacetal resin (POM), or a styrene-acrylonitrile resin (SAN). Exemplary commercially available styrene thermoplastic elastomeric copolymers include MONOPRENE IN5074, SP066070 and SP16975 (Teknor Apex) which are styrene-ethylene / butylene-styrene (SEBS) resins.Thermoplastic Vulcanisate MaterialsThe second thermoplastic composition may comprise an injection processable thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV) material. Injection processable TPV materials are typically cross-linked or partially cross-linked rubbers dispersed in thermoplastic host phases. Exemplary TPV materials include ethylene propylene diene rubber in polypropylene hosts (EPDM / PP) such as "SARLINK" or "SAN-TOPRENE" TPV materials. Other exemplary TPV materials include alkyl acrylic copolymer rubbers in polyamide hosts (ACM / PA) such as "ZEOTHERM" TPVs. Still other exemplary TPV materials include silicone rubbers dispersed in "HYTREL" based copolyesters (e.g., so-called TSiPVs).AdditivesIn various aspects, the disclosed first thermoplastic composition and second thermoplastic composition may independently further comprise an additive. The additive may be incorporated directly into or alternatively applied to the disclosed first thermoplastic composition or second thermoplastic composition prior to foaming the first thermoplastic composition or second thermoplastic composition. Additives that may be used in the disclosed compositions and materials include, but are not limited to, dyes, pigments, colorants, ultraviolet light absorbers, hindered amine light stabilizers, antioxidants, processing aids or agents, plasticizers, lubricants, emulsifiers, pigments, dyes, optical brighteners, rheology additives, catalysts, flow control agents, lubricants, crosslinking agents, crosslinking enhancers, halogen scavengers, smoke inhibitors, flame retardants, antistatics, fillers, or mixtures of two or more of the foregoing. In some aspects, the additive may be a wax, an antioxidant, a UV absorbing agent, a colorant, or combinations thereof.The additive may be present in an amount of from about 0.1 wt % to about 10 wt %, or from 0.1 to 6 wt %, based on the total weight of the first or second thermoplastic composition. In a particular aspect, the additive may be present in the first or second thermoplastic composition in an amount of from about 0.1 wt % to about 4 wt %, based on a total weight of the first or second thermoplastic composition. The first or second thermoplastic composition may comprise less than 4 wt %, or less than 3 wt %, or less than 2 wt %, or less than 1 wt % additives based on a total weight of the first or second thermoplastic composition.The first and / or second thermoplastic composition may be substantially free of additives, wherein the amount of additive is less than about 0.1 wt %, about 0.08 wt %, about 0.06 wt %, about 0.04 wt %, or about 0.02 wt % of the first and / or second thermoplastic composition. In another aspect, the first and / or second thermoplastic composition is free of additives (i.e., does not contain additives).In some cases, an additive may be present in an amount of about 0.01 wt % to about 10 wt %, about 0.025 wt % to about 5 wt %, or about 0.1 wt % to 3 wt %, where the wt % is based on the sum of the material components in the first thermoplastic composition or second thermoplastic composition.Individual components may be blended together with the other components of the first thermoplastic composition or second thermoplastic composition in a continuous or batch mixer, e.g., a intermeshing rotor mixer such as an intermix mixer, a twin screw extruder, a tangential rotor mixer such as a Banbury mixer, using a two roll mill, or some combinations thereof, to produce a composition comprising a thermoplastic polymer and an additive. The mixer may mix the components together via a single step or multiple steps and may mix the components via dispersive mixing or dispersive mixing to form the resulting thermoplastic composition. This step is often referred to as "compounding."The first thermoplastic composition and the second thermoplastic composition may independently further comprise a solid non-polymeric material such as a chemical blowing agent, a nucleating agent, a filler, a pigment, or a combination thereof. The solid non-polymeric material may be present in an amount of about 0.05 wt % to about 20 wt %, based on the total weight of the first thermoplastic composition and / or the second thermoplastic composition; about 0.1 wt % to about 10 wt %, based on the total weight of the first thermoplastic composition and / or the second thermoplastic composition; or 0.5 wt % to about 5 wt %, based on the total weight of the first thermoplastic composition and / or the second thermoplastic composition. The first or second thermoplastic composition may comprise about 5 wt % or less, or about 3 wt % or less, or about 2 wt % or less, or about 1 wt % or less of solid non-polymeric material, based on the total weight of the first thermoplastic composition and / or second thermoplastic composition. The foamed polymeric material may comprise less than about 5 wt %, or less than 4 wt %, or less than 3 wt %, or less than 2 wt %, or less than 1 wt % of solid non-polymeric material, based on the total weight of the first thermoplastic composition and / or second thermoplastic composition.The first thermoplastic composition and / or the second thermoplastic composition may comprise substantially no or no non-polymeric materials such as chemical blowing agents, nucleating agents, fillers, pigments, or a combination thereof. In other words, the first thermoplastic composition and / or the second thermoplastic composition may be substantially free of non-polymeric materials. In other aspects, the first thermoplastic composition and / or second thermoplastic composition may comprise 5 wt % or less of a non-polymeric material, such as a chemical blowing agent, nucleating agent, filler, pigment, or a combination thereof. The first thermoplastic composition and / or second thermoplastic composition may comprise less than 4 wt %, less than 3 wt %, less than 2 wt %, less than 1 wt %, less than 0.5 wt %, less than 0.1 wt %, less than 0.08 wt %, less than 0.06 wt %, less than 0.04 wt %, or less than 0.02 wt % non-polymeric material based on a total weight of the first thermoplastic composition and / or second thermoplastic composition. In other aspects, the first thermoplastic composition and / or second thermoplastic composition is free of (i.e., does not contain) non-polymeric material, such as a chemical blowing agent, nucleating agent, filler, or a combination thereof.In some cases, the solid non-polymeric material is a filler. The filler may be a particulate filler. In further aspects, the filler is a carbonaceous filler. The carbonaceous filler may be carbon black, activated carbon, graphite, carbon fibers, carbon fibrils, carbon nanoparticles, or combinations thereof. In various aspects, the carbonaceous filler may be chemically modified. Alternatively, the filler may be an inorganic filler. The inorganic filler may be an oxide, a hydroxide, a salt, a silicate, a metal, or combinations thereof. Examples of an inorganic filler include, but are not limited to, glass beads, glass fibers, hollow glass beads, glass flakes, MgO, SiO 2, Sb 2 O 3, Al 2 O 3, ZnO, talc, mica, kaolin, wollastonite, or combinations thereof.Nucleating agents are widely used to modify the properties of various polymers. Nucleating agents may help reduce the specific gravity of a foam, increase the number of cells present in the foam, and reduce the cell size in the foam by providing a surface for heterogeneous nucleation of gas bubbles from the supercritical fluid state. For the first thermoplastic compositions and second thermoplastic compositions of the present disclosure, nucleating agents may affect the properties of the final foam article by modifying the amount, distribution, and rate of supercritical fluid conversion from a liquid to a gas during the foaming process as lower pressures. The addition of nucleating agents provides a surface on which the supercritical fluid can be converted from a liquid to a gas. As a result, many nucleation sites result in many gas cell domains. In a particular example, the nucleating agent may comprise a metal salt of a fatty acid. In some aspects, the nucleating agent is zinc stearate. In some aspects, the composition or material contains about 0.1 wt % to about 10 wt %, about 0.1 wt % to about 5 wt %, about 0.1 wt % to about 2 wt %, or about 0.5 wt % to about 2 wt % of the nucleating agent, based on a total weight of the composition or material.In some aspects, the additive is a nucleating agent such as talc, metal oxides such as titanium dioxide or magnesium oxide, phosphates, carbonates or sulfates of preferably alkaline earth metals, or mixtures thereof. Alternatively, the nucleating agent may be a mono- or polycarboxylic acid and salts thereof, e.g. 4-tert-butylbenzoic acid, adipic acid, diphenylacetic acid, sodium succinate, sodium benzoate or mixtures thereof. In another aspect, the additive may be a nucleating agent comprising both an inorganic and an organic material as disclosed hereinabove.In some aspects, the rheology modifier may be a nanoparticle with comparatively high aspect ratios, nanoton, nanocarbon, graphite, nanosilicate, and the like.In some aspects, the additive is a filler or reinforcing agent such as clay, kaolin, talc, asbestos, graphite, glass (such as glass fibers, glass particles and glass spheres, spheres or spheres), mica, calcium metasilicate, barium sulfate, zinc sulfide, aluminum hydroxide, silicates, diatomaceous earth, carbonates (such as calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate and the like), metals (such as titanium, tungsten, zinc, aluminum, bismuth, nickel, molybdenum, iron, copper, brass, boron, bronze, cobalt, beryllium and their alloys), metal oxides (such as zinc oxide, iron oxide, aluminum oxide, titanium oxide, magnesium oxide, zirconium oxide and the like), metal hydroxides, particulate synthetic plastics (such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyamide, polyester, polyurethane, Polyimide and the like), synthetic fibers (such as fibers comprising high molecular weight polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyamide, polyester, polyurethane, polyimide and the like), particulate carbonaceous materials (such as carbon black and the like), wood flour and flours or fibers of other natural products as well as cotton flakes, non-cotton cellulose flakes, cellulose pulp, leather fiber and combinations of any of the foregoing. Non-limiting examples of high density filler components that may be used to increase the specific gravity of the cured elastomer composition may include titanium, tungsten, aluminum, bismuth, nickel, molybdenum, iron, steel, lead, copper, brass, boron, boron carbide whiskers, bronze, cobalt, beryllium, zinc, tin, metal oxides (such as zinc oxide, iron oxide, aluminum oxide, titanium oxide, magnesium oxide, and zirconium oxide), metal sulfates (such as barium sulfate), metal carbonates (such as calcium carbonate), and combinations thereof. Non-limiting examples of low density filler components that can be used to reduce the specific gravity of the elastomeric compound can include particulate plastics, hollow glass spheres, ceramics and hollow spheres, millbases, and foams that can be used in combinations.In some examples, the non-polymeric materials may also include a nanofiller. Nanofillers can serve not only as mechanical reinforcement but also as nucleating agents. A plurality of nanofillers may be used instead of or in addition to zinc stearate. Nanofillers may comprise nanomaterials having one-dimensional structures, such as sheets, platelets, and / or shells; two-dimensional structures such as nanotubes and nanofibers having a diameter of less than 0.1 micrometers; or three-dimensional nanostructures such as nanoparticles or beads. Nanoplatelet fillers can be natural or synthetic clays as well as phosphates of transition metals. Clay-based nanocomposites produce a general improvement in physical performance. The most widely used are the sheet silicates. Nanofillers can contain nanooxides such as nanoparticles of titanium dioxide or rutile. Other nanofillers may include nano-particles of alumina or alumina, diatomite, and nanoscale carbon materials such as single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) or double wall carbon nanotubes (DWCNTs).DefinitionsUnless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. It will be further understood that terms, as defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the specification and the art, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly defined herein.The terms "comprises," "comprises," "include," and "have" are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of features, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.As used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to "a foam particle", "a midsole", or "an adhesive" includes, but is not limited to, two or more such foam particles, midsoles, or adhesives, and the like.As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.As used herein, substantially or substantially means at least 50 percent, 60 percent, 75 percent, 90 percent, 95 percent or more, determined based on weight or volume.The terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers, and / or sections. These elements, components, regions, layers, and / or sections are not intended to be limited by these terms. These terms may be used only to distinguish one element, component, region, layer, or portion from another region, layer, or portion. Terms such as "first," "second," and other numerical terms do not imply an order or sequence unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer, or portion discussed below could be referred to as a second element, component, region, layer, or portion without departing from the teachings of the example embodiments.As used herein, unless otherwise defined or made apparent from the disclosure, the modifiers "upper", "lower", "upper", "lower", "upward", "downward", "vertical", "horizontal", "longitudinal", "transverse", "front", "rear", etc. are relative terms intended to place the various structures or orientations of the structures of the article of footwear in the context of an article of footwear worn by a user standing on a flat, horizontal surface.The term "pick up", such as "pick up an upper for an article of footwear" when recited in the claims, is not intended to require any particular feeding or pick up of the picked up article. Rather, the term "pick" is used merely to represent items referred to in subsequent elements of the claim or claims for purposes of clarity and ease of reading.The terms "at least one" and "one or more" of an element are used interchangeably and have the same meaning as that comprising a single element and a plurality of the elements, and may also be represented by the suffix "(e)" at the end of the element. For example, "at least one polyamide", "one or more polyamides", and "polyamide(s)" may be used interchangeably and have the same meaning.It should be noted that ratios, concentrations, amounts, and other numerical data may be expressed herein in a range format. When the specified range includes one or both of the limits, ranges excluding one or both of these included limits are also included in the disclosure, for example, the term "x to y" includes the range of "x" to "y", and the range greater than "x" and less than "y". The range may also be expressed as an upper limit, e.g., "about x, y, z, or less", and should be interpreted to include the specific ranges of "about x", "about y", and "about z", as well as the ranges of "less than x", "less than y", and "less than z". Likewise, the term "about x, y, z, or greater" should be interpreted to include the specific ranges of "about x", "about y", and "about z", as well as the ranges of "greater than x", "greater than y", and "greater than z". In addition, the term "about,x' to,y"', where 'x' and 'y' are numerical values, includes "about,x' to about,y"'. It should be understood that such a range format is used for convenience and brevity and should therefore be interpreted flexibly to include not only the numerical values explicitly recited as boundaries of the range, but also all individual numerical values or sub-ranges included in this range as if each numerical value and sub-range were explicitly recited. For purposes of illustration, a numerical range of "about 0.1% to about 5%" should be interpreted to include not only the expressly stated values of about 0.1 percent to about 5 percent, but also individual values (e.g., 1 percent, 2 percent, 3 percent, and 4 percent) and the sub-ranges (e.g., 0.5 percent, 1.1 percent, 2.4 percent, 3.2 percent, and 4.4 percent) within the stated range.The terms "about" and "substantially" are used herein with respect to measurable values and ranges due to expected variations that are known to those of skill in the art (e.g., limitations and variations in measurements).As used herein, the terms "optional" or "optional" mean that the component, event, or circumstance described below may or may not occur, and that the description includes cases where the component, event, or circumstance occurs and cases where it does not.As used herein, the term "units" may be used to refer to individual (co)alkylene moieties, such that, for example, styrene repeat units refer to individual styrene (co)monomer units in the polymer. Moreover, the term "units" may be used to refer to polymeric block units, such that, for example, "styrene repeat units" may also refer to polystyrene blocks; "units of polyethylene" refer to block units of polyethylene; "units of polypropylene" refer to block units of polypropylene; "units of polybutylene" refer to block units of polybutylene; and so forth. Such use will be clear from the context.The term "copolymer" refers to a polymer having two or more types of monomers and includes terpolymers (i.e., copolymers having three types of monomers).Reference to "a" chemical compound refers to one or more molecules of the chemical compound, rather than being limited to a single molecule of the chemical compound. Moreover, the one or more molecules may or may not be identical as long as they fall under the category of chemical compound. Thus, for example, "a" polyamide is interpreted to include one or more polymer molecules of the polyamide, where the polymer molecules may or may not be identical (e.g., different molecular weights and / or isomers).As used herein, the terms "percent by weight" or "wt %", which may be used interchangeably, indicate the wt % of a stated component based on the total weight of the composition or article, unless otherwise stated. That is, unless otherwise indicated, all weight percentages are based on the total weight of the composition. It will be appreciated that the sum of the weight percentages for all components in a disclosed composition or formulation or article is equal to 100.Similarly, the terms "percent by volume" or "volume percent" that may be used interchangeably indicate the volume percent of a stated component based on the total volume of the composition or article, unless otherwise stated. That is, unless otherwise stated, all volume percentages are based on the total volume of the composition or article. It will be appreciated that the sum of volume percentages for all components in a disclosed composition or formulation or article is equal to 100.Compounds are described using standard nomenclature. For example, any position not substituted by a given group shall be understood to have its valence filled by a bond as given or a hydrogen atom. A dash ("-") that is not between two letters or symbols is used to indicate a point of attachment for a substituent. For example, -CHO is attached via carbon of the carbonyl group. Unless otherwise defined, technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains.Unless otherwise stated, the temperatures herein refer to atmospheric pressure (i.e., an atmosphere).Before moving to the examples, it is to be understood that this disclosure is not limited to particular aspects described and as such may of course vary. Other systems, methods, features and advantages of foam compositions and components thereof will be apparent or apparent to one skilled in the art upon examination of the following drawings and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features, and advantages be included in this specification, be within the scope of the present disclosure, and be protected by the appended claims. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular aspects only and is not intended to be limiting. Those skilled in the art will recognize many variations and adaptations of the aspects described herein. These variations and adaptations are intended to be included in the teachings of this disclosure and encompassed by the claims contained herein.TEST METHODSSpecific sampling methods and test methods referred to in the specification and examples are set forth below.Sampling MethodVarious properties of the compositions and foams and other articles formed therefrom can be characterized using samples prepared by the following sampling methods:Pure Sampling Method aThe clean sampling method may be used to obtain a clean sample of a foamed or non-foamed first thermoplastic composition, a non-foamed or foamed second thermoplastic composition, or in some cases a sample of a material (e.g., polymer) used to form a first thermoplastic composition or a second thermoplastic composition. The material may be provided in media form such as flakes, granules, powders, pellets and the like. If a source of the first thermoplastic composition or the second thermoplastic composition is not available in pure form, the sample may be cut from another component containing the composition or material, thereby isolating a sample of the composition or material.b. Plate Sampling Method - Solid Composition or MaterialThe first thermoplastic composition or the second thermoplastic composition is formed into a sheet having dimensions of about six inches by about 4 inches and a thickness of about 20 millimeters (or as otherwise indicated by the test method). The sample is prepared by mixing together the components of the composition or material, melting the composition or material, casting, extruding or injecting the molten composition into a mold cavity, cooling the molten composition or material to solidify in the mold cavity to form the sheet, and then removing the sheet from the mold cavity.c. Plate Sampling Method - Foam Composition or MaterialThe foamed first thermoplastic composition or second thermoplastic composition is foamed into a sheet. The skin is removed from a portion of the panel and the skinned portion of the panel is cut into a panel having dimensions of about six inches by about four inches and a thickness of about 20 millimeters (mm) (or as otherwise indicated by the test method).Component Sampling MethodThis method can be used to obtain a sample of a foamed or non-foamed composition or material when the composition or material is incorporated into a component such as a sole structure or midsole or outsole of an article of footwear. A sample of the component containing the composition or material is obtained when formed into the component or cut from the article of footwear using a blade. This process is carried out by separating the component from an associated shoe upper, if present, and removing all materials from the upper surface of the article (e.g. corresponding to the upper surface). For example, the top surface of the article may be skinned, abraded, abraded, or otherwise cleaned to remove any top adhesives, yarns, fibers, foams, and the like that may potentially interfere with test results.The resulting component sample contains the composition or material. Thus, any test using a component sampling method can simulate how the composition or material will behave as part of an article of footwear. As indicated by the test method, the component can be tested as a complete component (e.g., complete midsole component) or it can be sampled with a particular geometry. A sample of a component is taken at a location along the component that provides a substantially constant thickness for the component (within plus or minus 10 percent of the average thickness), such as in a forefoot region, midfoot region, or heel region of the article. Unless otherwise stated, the desired extracted geometry is a cylindrical puck having a diameter of 45 millimeters and a cylinder height of at least about 10 mm, preferably from about 20 to 25 millimeters. A compression test of the sampled component samples should be tested along the length of the cylinder using compression plates that are at least twice the diameter of the cylindrical puck sample.Characterization of solid polymer, thermoplastic copolyester composition and second thermoplastic composition.Glass transition temperature, melting temperature and crystallization temperature testDifferential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is performed on samples prepared using the pure sampling method or on a portion of a sample prepared using the plate sampling method or the component sampling method. The test is performed using a DSC system such as a TA Instruments Q2000. Samples of 10 to 30 mg are subjected to a cycle of minus 90 degrees Celsius to 225 degrees Celsius at a rate of 20 degrees Celsius / min and cooled to minus 90 degrees Celsius at a rate of 10 degrees Celsius / min. Each sample is performed in duplicate. The melting temperature, crystallization temperature and glass transition temperature values are recorded from the second cycle. The melting, crystallization or glass transition "maximum" value is identified as the local maximum of the second heating cycle. If more than one peak melt was present in the DSC curve, the peak melt occurring at higher temperatures was chosen as a reference for the injection or foaming temperature. The end was identified as the intersection of the tangent of the higher temperature side line of the melting peak with the extrapolated baseline. A scheme illustrating the method for determining peak and final temperatures is shown in Figure 8.Cyclic Tensile TestThe cyclic tensile test is performed on solid samples prepared using the plate sampling method or the component sampling method and having a dog bone shape as described in ASTM D638, with a thickness of 2 mm. In the test, the sample is subjected to a preload of 5 N. An elongation is controlled so that the sample is stretched to an elongation of 6 percent at an elongation rate of 5 Hz. The stiffness is the stress at 6 percent strain divided by the strain at 6 percent strain, giving a value in N / mm. The maximum load (N) observed over the test cycle of 500 cycles is also recorded.Melt Flow Index TestMelt flow index is determined using a sample prepared using the clean sampling method or from a portion of a sample prepared using the plate sampling method or the component sampling method according to the test method described in ASTM D1238-13 standard test methods for melt flow rates of thermoplastics by extrusion plastometer using method A described therein. Briefly, melt flow index measures the rate of extrusion of thermoplastics through an orifice at a prescribed temperature and load. In the test procedure, about 7 grams of the sample is loaded into the barrel of the melt flow apparatus that has been heated to a particular temperature of 210 degrees Celsius, 220 degrees Celsius, or 230 degrees Celsius. A weight of 2.16 kilograms is applied to a flask and the molten sample is forced through the mold. A timed extrudate is collected and weighed. Melt flow rate values are calculated in g / 10 min and are given with the temperature indicated (i.e., 210, 220 or 230 degrees Celsius) and the weight applied to the flask (i.e., 2.15 kg).Solid Polymer Abrasion Test (Acronym)Abrasion loss is tested on a 3 millimeter thickness sample plate made using the plate sampling method or the component sampling method. The sample plate is adhered to an Akron abrasion test sample having a JIS-A hardness of 70 by using an adhesive to prepare a test sample. A volume loss by abrasion is measured using an Akron abrasion testing machine under a load of 27 N, an inclination angle of 15 degrees, a 500-fold preabrasion and a 1000-fold test abrasion according to JIS K6254. The mass and / or volume of the sample is / is measured before and after the test, the difference being the abrasion loss. The smaller the volume or mass of abrasion loss, the better the abrasion resistance.Solid Polymer Abrasion Test (DIN)Abrasion loss is tested on samples cut from plates having a minimum thickness of 6 mm to 12 mm prepared using the plate sampling method or the component sampling method. The cut samples have a cylindrical shape with a diameter of 16 millimeters plus or minus 0.2 millimeters and a minimum thickness of 6 mm to 12 mm cut from panels using an ASTM standard hole drill. Abrasion loss is measured using Method B of ASTM D 5963-97a on a standard abrasion testing machine, such as a Gotech GT-7012 D abrasion testing machine. The tests are carried out at 22 degrees Celsius with an abrasion distance of 40 meters. The sample is abraded with a standard sandpaper such as VSM-VITEX-KK511X-60P sandpaper (commercially available from VSM Abrasives Corp.) using an abrasion load of 10 Newtons. The mass and / or volume of the sample is / is measured before and after the test, the difference being the abrasion loss. The lower the abrasion loss, the better the abrasion resistance of the material.Solid Polymer Friction Coefficient Test (Wet and Dry)This test measures the coefficient of friction of the coefficient of friction test for a sample (e.g., taken with the component sampling method, plate sampling method, or clean sampling method discussed above). The sample is cut into a rectangular shape measuring about 3.0 inches by 3.3 inches and having a thickness of about 2 millimeters. The sample is permanently adhered to a 1 cm thick piece of EVA foam having a density of about 0.25 grams / cubic centimeter and a durometer of 50C.For a dry test (i.e., to determine a coefficient of friction in the dry state), the sample is first equilibrated at 25 degrees C and 20 percent humidity for 24 hours. For a wet test (e.g., to determine a wet condition coefficient of friction), the sample is fully immersed in a deionized water bath maintained at 25 degrees C for 24 hours. The sample is then removed from the bath and blotted with cloth to remove surface water.The measurement is performed with an aluminum slide mounted on a test track used to perform a sliding friction test for a test sample on the surface of the test track. The surface of the test track may comprise a particular test track material, such as aluminum, wood board surface (wet or dry), smooth concrete surface (wet or dry). The test distance is 127 millimeters wide by 610 millimeters long. The aluminum sled measures 76.2 millimeters by 76.2 millimeters, with a 9.5 millimeter radius cut into the leading edge. The contact area of the aluminum carriage with the rail is 76.2 millimeters by 66.6 millimeters or 5,100 square millimeters).The dry or wet sample is attached to the underside of the slide using a two component room temperature curing epoxy adhesive, such as the adhesive commercially available under the trade name "LOCTITE 608" from Henkel, Dusseldorf, Germany. The adhesive is used to maintain the flatness of the wet sample that can curl upon saturation. A polystyrene foam having a thickness of about 25.4 mm is attached to the top surface of the slide (opposite the test sample) for structural support.The sliding friction test is carried out with a screw-driven load frame. A tow cable is attached to the carriage with a bracket supported in the polystyrene foam structure support and is wound around a reel to tow the carriage across the aluminum test line. The sliding or frictional force is measured using a load receiver having a capacity of 2,000 Newton. The normal force is controlled by placing weights on top of the aluminum sled supported by the foam structure support for a total sled weight of 1000 Newtons). The crosshead of the test frame has a speed of 0.4 meters / second and the total test displacement is 250 millimeters. The coefficient of friction is calculated based on the stationary force parallel to the direction of movement required to pull the carriage at constant speed. The coefficient of friction itself is determined by dividing the steady-state tractive force by the applied normal force. Any transient value related to the static coefficient of friction at the beginning of the test is ignored.Sheet Adhesion TestA ply adhesion test determines the adhesion between two joined layers of material (e.g., a thermoplastic copolyester composition and a second thermoplastic composition) using a tensile tester such as an Instron Electropulse E10000 (Instron, Norwood, Massachusetts). Sample layers of each material may be provided using the clean sampling method or the plate sampling method or the component sampling method, and the layers are then joined using a specified method. Alternatively, a sample of joined layers may be provided using the component sampling method. At one end of the sample, the bond between the plies is carefully separated to provide an unbound length of about 0.5 cm which can be inserted into the crossheads of the tensile testing apparatus. A first layer is inserted into a first handle of the tensile tester and a second layer is inserted into a second handle of the tensile tester such that the sample is substantially straight between the handles. The crosshead speed is set at 50 millimeters per minute. Peel strength is measured during separation of the joined sample until the joint completely separates or the sample fails. The force per peel distance is reported (kilograms force / centimeter) and the type of failure (either adhesive or cohesive) is recorded for each sample.Foam characterization.Density TestDensity is measured for samples taken using the plate sampling method or the component sampling method using a digital balance or a densicom tester (Qualitest, Plantation, Fla., USA). For each sample, a sample volume in cubic centimeters is determined and then each sample is weighed (g). The density of the sample is the mass divided by the sample volume, given in grams / cubic centimeter.Specific Weight TestSpecific gravity (SG) is measured for samples taken using the plate sampling method or the component sampling method using a digital balance or a Densicom tester (Skillest, Plantation, Florida, USA). Each sample is weighed (g) and then immersed in a bath of distilled water (at 22 degrees Celsius plus or minus 2 degrees Celsius). To avoid errors, air bubbles on the surface of the samples are removed, for example, by wiping the sample with isopropyl alcohol before dipping the sample in water or using a brush after the sample is dipped. The specific gravity of the sample in the distilled water is recorded. The specific gravity is calculated by the following formula:Water Absorption TestThis test measures the water absorption capacity of a foam sample after a soaking period of 5 minutes. A 1-centimeter core sample is taken from a foam sample made using the panel sampling method or component sampling method starting from the sidewall of the foamed article, e.g., the midsole of an article of footwear. The core is then cut to provide a cylindrical sample having a cylinder height of 1 cm, ensuring that the sidewall remains as part of the core sample. The sample is conditioned in an oven at 50 degrees Celsius plus or minus 3 degrees Celsius for 24 hours. After conditioning, the sample is cooled for 30 minutes in a laboratory environment at a temperature of 22 degrees Celsius plus or minus 2 degrees Celsius and then immediately weighed and the weight recorded in grams (W_ 0). The surface of the side wall is covered with cover tape, while all other surfaces are sealed with an impermeable coating. When the surfaces are fully coated, the cover of the side wall surface is removed. The coated sample is then conditioned in an oven at 50 degrees Celsius plus or minus 3 degrees Celsius for 24 hours, cooled in a laboratory environment at a temperature of 22 degrees Celsius plus or minus 2 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes, and then immediately weighed and the weight recorded in grams (W_i). The dried sample is fully immersed in a deionized water bath maintained at 22 degrees Celsius plus or minus 2 degrees Celsius for a period of 2 hours. After the soaking period, the sample is removed from the deionized water bath, blotted with a cloth to remove surface water, and the total weight of soaked sample (W_f) is measured in grams (W_f). The water absorption for the period of time is calculated as follows:Force / Travel (Cyclic Compression) TestThe force / travel behavior for the foams and foamed articles is measured using samples having a diameter of 45 millimeters and a thickness of at least 10 millimeters (preferably 20-25 millimeters) prepared using the plate sampling method or the component sampling method with a cyclic compression tester such as an Instron Electropulse E10000 (Instron, Norwood, Massachusetts) having a stainless steel impact geometry with a circular cross-section and a diameter at least twice as large as the diameter of the foam sample (e.g., for a 45 mm diameter sample, a 90 mm diameter plate). Each sample is compressed at 5 Hz for 500 cycles to 50% strain. Stiffness, efficiency, and energy rejection are measured from the force-displacement curves for cycles 200, 300, 400, and 500. The stiffness of a particular foam sample is the load at the maximum strain divided by the maximum strain, giving a value in kPa or N / mm. The efficiency of a foam sample is the integral of the load-load-force-travel curve divided by the integral of the load-load-force-travel curve. The energy return of a foam sample is the integral of the load-relief force-displacement curve, which gives a value in mJ. The reported value for each metric is the average of each metric between cycles 200, 300, 400, and 500. All fatigue metrics are defined as relative differences in the end-of-test properties compared to the same beginning-of-test properties (e.g., cycle 1).In some cases, a complete midsole is tested using a foot shape for the impact instead of a cylindrical impact member to more accurately simulate the complete goal load. For these tests, a 10 size U.S. Herren midsole is tested and a 9 size Herren footform is used for the impact, with the footform applying a load of 2000 N to the midsole at a load rate of 5 Hz. All metrics from the footform test are collected and analyzed as described above.As with the use of a cylindrical impact element, when using a foot shape, the energy input is taken as the integral of the force-displacement curve during the compressive force load. The energy return is taken as the integral of the force-displacement curve during the relief. The ratio is taken as hysteresis: (energy return) / (energy input), which can also be regarded as the energy efficiency of the foam. The fatigue performance is evaluated from changes in the foam path at the maximum load of one cycle. All properties measured: stiffness, hysteresis and fatigue are measured for thousands of cycles for both running and walking compression cycles.Durometer hardness test - Shore AThe test used to obtain the hardness values for the foam articles is as follows. A flat foam sample is prepared using the plate sampling method or the component sampling method in which the sample is at least 6 mm thick for Shore A durometer tests. If necessary, samples are stacked to achieve the minimum thickness. The samples are large enough to be able to perform all measurements at a distance of at least 12 mm from the edge of the sample and at least 12 mm from any other measurement. The tested areas are flat and parallel with an area of at least 6 mm diameter. At least five hardness measurements are made and tested using a 1-kilogram head weight.Separation Tear Strength TestThe separation tear test can determine the internal tear strength of a foam material. A sample may be provided by either the plate sampling method or the component sampling method. The sample is stamped into a rectangular shape having a width of 1.54 centimeters and a length of 15.24 centimeters (1 inch by 6 inches) and a thickness of 10 centimeters plus or minus 1 centimeter. At one end, a cut is made into the sample bisecting the thickness, the cut extending the full width of the sample and 3 centimeters from the end of the sample. Starting at the end of the cut, 5 markings are placed along the length of the sample at a distance of 2 centimeters. The cut ends of the sample are placed in the clamps of a tensile tester. Each portion of the sample is held in a clamp such that the original adjacent cut edges form a straight line connecting the midpoints of the clamps. The crosshead speed is set at 50 millimeters per minute. Tear strength is measured across the separation of the crossheads. If necessary, a sharp knife may be used to further separate the foam in the center of the sample, discarding the measurement caused by cutting the knife. The lowest separation tear values are recorded for each of the five marked segments of the sample (between the 2-centimeter markings, respectively). An average peel tear value is recorded for each sample. If a segment of a sample has an air bubble measuring greater than 2 millimeters, the tear strength for the segment is discarded and the air bubble is recorded as a test error. If more than one segment of a sample has an air bubble measuring more than 2 millimeters, the entire sample is discarded.Hand Pull TestThe hand pull test can evaluate the bond strength between two foams, compositions or materials, such as between a solid and a foam or between two different foams. Depending on the bonding method used, a sample of two pre-bonded foams, compositions or materials can be provided using either the plate sampling method or the component sampling method. Alternatively, separate samples of foam, composition or material may be prepared using the plate sampling method or component sampling method and then bonded together using the bonding method to be evaluated. The sample is stamped into a rectangular shape having a width of 1.54 centimeters and a length of 15.24 centimeters (1 inch by 6 inches) and a thickness of 10 millimeters plus or minus 1 millimeter. At one end, a cut is made in the sample bisecting the thickness, the cut extending across the full width of the sample and 3 cm from the end of the sample. Starting at the end of the cut, 5 markings are placed along the length of the sample at a distance of 2 centimeters. The cut ends of the sample are held in the hand of the tester and pulled at a speed of about 50 millimeters per minute. If necessary, a sharp knife may be used to further separate the material in the center of the sample, discarding the measurement caused by cutting the knife. Tear strength values are recorded for each of the five marked segments of the sample (between each of the 2 centimeter markings) using the following evaluation heading: Ease of peel or adhesive failure is evaluated as 1; Adhesive failure, but a certain resistance, is evaluated as 2; Cohesive Foam Failure is evaluated as 3 to 4.5 based on the concomitant degree of Foam Skin Failure, where 3 is the highest degree of Foam Skin Failure and 4.5 is the lowest degree of Foam Skin Failure; and Inability to separate is evaluated as 5. The scores for each segment are averaged to give a recorded value for each sample. If a segment of a sample has an air bubble measuring greater than 2 millimeters, the tear strength for the segment is discarded and the air bubble is recorded as a test error. If more than one segment of a sample has an air bubble measuring more than 2 millimeters, the entire sample is discarded.ASPECTSThe following listing of example aspects is supported and supported by the disclosure provided herein.Aspect 1. Foam Article, comprising:a first foam component having an outer surface, said foam component comprising a foamed first thermoplastic composition comprising a first thermoplastic copolyester elastomer having a multicellular foam structure; anda polymeric layer comprising a second thermoplastic composition comprising a second thermoplastic elastomer, said polymeric layer being disposed on at least a portion of the outer surface of said first foam component;wherein the first thermoplastic composition is structurally different than the second thermoplastic composition.Aspect 2. foam article, comprising:a first foam component having an outer surface, the foam component comprising a foamed first thermoplastic composition, the foamed first thermoplastic composition being a multicellular foam having an open-cell foam microstructure; anda polymeric layer comprising a second thermoplastic composition disposed on at least a portion of the outer surface of the first foam component;wherein the polymeric layer forms a water resistant barrier on the at least a portion of the outer surface of the first foam component.Aspect 3. The foam article of Aspects 1-2, wherein the foamed first thermoplastic composition comprises a thermoplastic copolyester.Aspect 4. the foam article of any of aspects 1-3, wherein the foamed first thermoplastic composition comprises greater than 95% by weight of a thermoplastic copolyester composition of any of aspects 9-99 based on the total weight of the foamed first thermoplastic composition.Aspect 5. the foam article of Aspect 1, wherein the foam component has an open-cell microstructure.Aspect 6. foam article according to any of aspects 1-5, wherein less than 10 percent of the cells in the foam microstructure have closed cells.Aspect 7. the foam article of any of aspects 1-5, wherein less than 5 percent of the cells in the foam microstructure have closed cells.Aspect 8: The foam article of any of aspects 1-5, wherein less than 1 percent of the cells in the foam microstructure have closed cells.Aspect 9: The foam article of any of aspects 1-8, wherein the first thermoplastic composition comprises a thermoplastic copolyester, comprising:a plurality of first segments, each first segment derived from a dihydroxy terminated polydiol;a plurality of second segments, each second segment being derived from a diol; anda plurality of third segments, each third segment being derived from an aromatic dicarboxylic acid.Aspect 10. The foam article of any of aspects 1-9, wherein the thermoplastic copolyester is a block copolymer.Aspect 11 The foam article of any of aspects 1-9, wherein the thermoplastic copolyester is a segmented copolymer.Aspect 12 The foam article of any of aspects 1-9, wherein the thermoplastic copolyester is a random copolymer.Aspect 13 The foam article of any of aspects 1-9, wherein the thermoplastic copolyester is a condensation copolymer.Aspect 14. The foam article of any of aspects 1-9, wherein the thermoplastic copolyester has a weight average molecular weight of about 50,000 daltons to about 1,000,000 daltons.Aspect 15. The foam article of any of aspects 1-9, wherein the thermoplastic copolyester has a weight average molecular weight of about 50,000 daltons to about 500,000 daltons.Aspect 16. The foam article of any of aspects 1-9, wherein the thermoplastic copolyester has a weight average molecular weight of about 75,000 daltons to about 300,000 daltons.Aspect 17. foam article according to any of aspects 1-9, wherein the thermoplastic copolyester has a weight average molecular weight of about 100,000 daltons to about 200,000 daltons.Aspect 18. The foam article of any of aspects 1-9, wherein the thermoplastic copolyester has a ratio of first segments to third segments of about 1:1 to about 1:5 based on the weight of each of the first segments and the third segments.Aspect 19. the foam article of any of aspects 1-9, wherein the thermoplastic copolyester has a ratio of first segments to third segments of about 1:1 to about 1:3 based on the weight of each of the first segments and the third segments.Aspect 20 The foam article of any of aspects 1-9, wherein the thermoplastic copolyester has a ratio of first segments to third segments of about 1:1 to about 1:2 based on the weight of each of the first segments and the third segments.Aspect 21: The foam article of any of aspects 1-9, wherein the thermoplastic copolyester has a ratio of second segments to third segments of about 1:1 to about 1:3 based on the weight of each of the first segments and the third segments.Aspect 22: The foam article of any of aspects 1-9, wherein the thermoplastic copolyester has a ratio of second segments to third segments of about 1:1 to about 1:2 based on the weight of each of the first segments and the third segments.Aspect 23. The foam article of any of aspects 1-9, wherein the thermoplastic copolyester has a ratio of second segments to third segments of about 1:1 to about 1:1.52 based on the weight of each of the first segments and the third segments.Aspect 24 The foam article of any of aspects 1-9, wherein the first segments derived from a dihydroxy-terminated polydiol comprise segments derived from a poly(alkylene oxide)diol having a number average molecular weight of about 250 daltons to about 6000 daltons.Aspect 25: The foam article of Aspect 24, wherein the number average molecular weight is about 400 daltons to about 6,000 daltons.Aspect 26: The foam article of Aspect 24, wherein the number average molecular weight is about 350 daltons to about 5,000 daltons.Aspect 27. foam article of Aspect 24, wherein the number average molecular weight is about 500 daltons to about 3,000 daltons.Aspect 28. The foam article of any of aspects 24-27, wherein poly(alkylene oxide) diol is poly(ethylene ether) diol; poly(propylene ether) diol; poly(tetramethylene ether) diol; poly(pentamethylene ether) diol; poly(hexamethylene ether) diol; Poly(heptamethylenether)diol; poly(octaneether) diol; Poly(nonamethylenether)diol; Poly(decamethylenether)diol; or mixtures thereof.Aspect 29: The foam article of any of aspects 24-28, wherein poly(alkylene oxide) diol is poly(ethylene ether) diol; poly(propylene ether) diol; poly(tetramethylene ether) diol; poly(pentamethylene ether) diol; poly(hexamethylene ether) diol.Aspect 30: The foam article of any of aspects 24-29, wherein poly(alkylene oxide) diol is poly(tetramethylene ether) diol.Aspect 31 The foam article of any of aspects 1-30, wherein the second segments derived from a diol comprise a diol having a molecular weight of less than about 250.Aspect 32: The foam article of any of aspects 1-31, wherein the diol is a C2-C8 diol.Aspect 33 The foam article of any of aspects 1-32, wherein the second segments derived from a diol comprise a diol selected from ethanediol; propanediol; butanediol; pentanediol; 2-methylpropanediol; 2,2-dimethylpropanediol; hexanediol; 1,2-dihydroxycyclohexane; 1,3-dihydroxycyclohexane; 1,4-dihydroxycyclohexane; and mixtures thereof.Aspect 34 The foam article of any of aspects 1-33, wherein the diol is selected from 1,2-ethanediol, 1,3-propanediol, 1,4-butanediol, 1,6-hexanediol, and mixtures thereof.Aspect 35. foam article according to any of aspects 1-33, wherein the diol is 1,2-ethanediol.Aspect 36. foam article according to any of aspects 1-33, wherein the diol is 1,4-butanediol.Aspect 37 The foam article of any of aspects 1-36, wherein the third segments derived from an aromatic dicarboxylic acid comprise a C5-C16aromatic dicarboxylic acid.Aspect 38: The foam article of aspect 37, wherein the C5-C16 aromatic dicarboxylic acid has a molecular weight of less than about 300 daltons.Aspect 39 The foam article of any of aspects 37-38, wherein the C5-C16aromatic dicarboxylic acid has a molecular weight of about 120 daltons to about 200 daltons.Aspect 40 The foam article of any of aspects 37-39, wherein the C5-C16aromatic dicarboxylic acid is terephthalic acid, phthalic acid, isophthalic acid, or a derivative thereof.Aspect 41: The foam article of any of aspects 37-40, wherein the C5-C16 aromatic dicarboxylic acid derivative is a diester derivative of terephthalic acid, phthalic acid, or isophthalic acid.Aspect 42 The foam article of any of aspects 37-41, wherein the C5-C16aromatic dicarboxylic acid is terephthalic acid or the dimethyl ester derivative thereof.Aspect 43: The foam article of any of aspects 1-42, wherein the thermoplastic copolyester comprises: (a) a plurality of first copolyester units, each first copolyester unit of the plurality comprising the first segment derived from a dihydroxy-terminated polydiol and the third segment derived from an aromatic dicarboxylic acid, wherein the first copolyester unit has a structure represented by Formula 1: wherein R 1 is a group remaining after removal of terminal hydroxyl groups from the poly(alkylene oxide)diol of the first segment, wherein the poly(alkylene oxide)diol of the first segment is a poly(alkylene oxide)diol having a number average molecular weight of about 400 to about 6000; and wherein R 2 is a group remaining after removal of carboxyl groups from the third segment aromatic dicarboxylic acid; and (b) a plurality of second copolyester units, each second copolyester unit of the plurality having the second segment derived from a diol and the third segment derived from an aromatic dicarboxylic acid, wherein the second copolyester unit has a structure represented by a formula 2: wherein R 3 is a group remaining after removal of hydroxyl groups from the second segment diol derived from a diol, wherein the diol is a diol having a molecular weight of less than about 250; and wherein R 2 is the group remaining after removal of carboxyl groups from the third segment aromatic dicarboxylic acid.Aspect 44. The foam article of aspect 43, wherein the first copolyester unit has a structure represented by a formula 3: wherein R is H or methyl; wherein y is an integer having a value of 1 to 10; wherein z is an integer having a value of 2 to 60; and wherein a weight average molecular weight of each of the plurality of first copolyester units is from about 300 daltons to about 7,000 daltons.Aspect 45. The foam article of any of aspects 43-44, wherein y is an integer having a value of 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5.Aspect 46. foam article according to any of aspects 43-45, wherein y is an integer having a value of 1, 2 or 3.Aspect 47. The foam article of any of Aspects 43-46, wherein R is hydrogen.Aspect 48: The foam article of any of Aspects 43-46, wherein R is methyl.Aspect 49: The foam article of any of aspects 43-46, wherein R is hydrogen and y is an integer having a value of 1, 2 or 3.Aspect 50. The foam article of any of aspects 43-46, wherein R is methyl and y is an integer having a value of 1.Aspect 51: The foam article of aspect 43, wherein the first copolyester unit has a structure represented by a formula 4: wherein z is an integer having a value of 2 to 60; and wherein a weight average molecular weight of each of the plurality of first copolyester units is about 300 daltons to about 7,000 daltons.Aspect 52: The foam article of aspect 50, wherein z is an integer having a value from 5 to 60.Aspect 53. The foam article of any of aspects 51-52, wherein z is an integer having a value from 5 to 50.Aspect 54. The foam article of any of aspects 51-53, wherein z is an integer having a value from 5 to 40.Aspect 55. The foam article of any of aspects 51-54, wherein z is an integer having a value of 4 to 30.Aspect 56. foam article according to any one of aspects 51-55, wherein z is an integer having a value of 4 to 20.Aspect 57. foam article according to any of aspects 51-53, wherein z is an integer having a value of 2 to 10.Aspect 58: The foam article of any of aspects 42-57, wherein the weight average molecular weight of each of the plurality of first copolyester units is about 400 daltons to about 6,000 daltons.Aspect 59. The foam article of any of aspects 42-57, wherein the weight average molecular weight of each of the plurality of first copolyester units is about 400 daltons to about 5,000 daltons.Aspect 60: The foam article of any of aspects 42-57, wherein the weight average molecular weight of each of the plurality of first copolyester units is about 400 daltons to about 4,000 daltons.Aspect 61: The foam article of any of aspects 42-57, wherein the weight average molecular weight of each of the plurality of first copolyester units is about 400 daltons to about 3,000 daltons.Aspect 62 The foam article of any of aspects 42-57, wherein the weight average molecular weight of each of the plurality of first copolyester units is about 500 daltons to about 6,000 daltons.Aspect 63. foam article according to any of aspects 42-57, wherein the weight average molecular weight of each of the plurality of first copolyester units is about 500 daltons to about 5,000 daltons.Aspect 64 The foam article of any of aspects 42-57, wherein the weight average molecular weight of each of the plurality of first copolyester units is about 500 daltons to about 4,000 daltons.Aspect 65. The foam article of any of aspects 42-57, wherein the weight average molecular weight of each of the plurality of first copolyester units is about 500 daltons to about 3,000 daltons.Aspect 66. foam article according to any of aspects 42-57, wherein the weight average molecular weight of each of the plurality of first copolyester units is about 600 daltons to about 6,000 daltons.Aspect 67. The foam article of any of aspects 42-57, wherein the weight average molecular weight of each of the plurality of first copolyester units is about 600 daltons to about 5,000 daltons.Aspect 68. foam article according to any of aspects 42-57, wherein the weight average molecular weight of each of the plurality of first copolyester units is about 600 daltons to about 4,000 daltons.Aspect 69. foam article according to any of aspects 42-57, wherein the weight average molecular weight of each of the plurality of first copolyester units is about 600 daltons to about 3,000 daltons.Aspect 70: The foam article of any of aspects 42-69, wherein the second copolyester unit has a structure represented by Formula 5: wherein x is an integer having a value of 1 to 20.Aspect 71. foam article according to aspect 70, wherein x is an integer having a value of 2 to 18.Aspect 72. The foam article of Aspects 70-71, wherein x is an integer having a value from 2 to 17.Aspect 73. The foam article of any of aspects 70-72, wherein x is an integer having a value from 2 to 16.Aspect 74: The foam article of any of aspects 70-73, wherein x is an integer having a value from 2 to 15.Aspect 75. The foam article of any of aspects 70-74, wherein x is an integer having a value from 2 to 14.Aspect 76. foam article according to any of aspects 70-75, wherein x is an integer having a value of 2 to 13.Aspect 77. The foam article of any of aspects 70-76, wherein x is an integer having a value from 2 to 12.Aspect 78: The foam article of any of aspects 70-77, wherein x is an integer having a value from 2 to 11.Aspect 79. The foam article of any of aspects 70-78, wherein x is an integer having a value from 2 to 10.Aspect 80: The foam article of any of aspects 70-79, wherein x is an integer having a value from 2 to 9.Aspect 81: The foam article of any of aspects 70-80, wherein x is an integer having a value from 2 to 8.Aspect 82. The foam article of any of aspects 70-81, wherein x is an integer having a value from 2 to 7.Aspect 83. The foam article of any of aspects 70-82, wherein x is an integer having a value from 2 to 6.Aspect 84. The foam article of any of aspects 70-83, wherein x is an integer having a value of 2, 3, or 4.Aspect 85: The foam article of any of aspects 42-69, wherein the second copolyester unit has a structure represented by Formula 6: Aspect 86. foam article according to any of aspects 42-85, wherein the thermoplastic copolyester comprises about 30 wt % to about 80 wt % of the plurality of first copolyester units based on a total weight of the thermoplastic copolyester.Aspect 87. the foam article of any of aspects 42-86, wherein the thermoplastic copolyester comprises about 40 wt % to about 80 wt % of the plurality of first copolyester units based on a total weight of the thermoplastic copolyester.Aspect 88: The foam article of any of aspects 42-87, wherein the thermoplastic copolyester comprises about 50% to about 80% by weight of the plurality of first copolyester units based on a total weight of the thermoplastic copolyester.Aspect 89. The foam article of any of aspects 42-88, wherein the thermoplastic copolyester comprises about 30 wt% to about 70 wt% of the plurality of first copolyester units based on a total weight of the thermoplastic copolyester.Aspect 90: The foam article of any of aspects 42-89, wherein the thermoplastic copolyester comprises about 40 wt% to about 70 wt% of the plurality of first copolyester units based on a total weight of the thermoplastic copolyester.Aspect 91. The foam article of any of aspects 42-90, wherein the thermoplastic copolyester comprises about 50 wt % to about 70 wt % of the plurality of first copolyester units based on a total weight of the thermoplastic copolyester.Aspect 92. the foam article of any of aspects 42-91, wherein the thermoplastic copolyester comprises about 40 wt % to about 65 wt % of the plurality of second copolyester units based on a total weight of the thermoplastic copolyester.Aspect 93. The foam article of any of aspects 42-92, wherein the thermoplastic copolyester comprises about 45 wt% to about 65 wt% of the plurality of second copolyester units based on a total weight of the thermoplastic copolyester.Aspect 94. The foam article of any of aspects 42-93, wherein the thermoplastic copolyester comprises about 50 wt % to about 65 wt % of the plurality of second copolyester units based on a total weight of the thermoplastic copolyester.Aspect 95. foam article according to any of aspects 42-94, wherein the thermoplastic copolyester comprises about 55 wt % to about 65 wt % of the plurality of second copolyester units based on a total weight of the thermoplastic copolyester.Aspect 96. The foam article of any of aspects 42-95, wherein the thermoplastic copolyester comprises about 40 wt % to about 60 wt % of the plurality of second copolyester units based on a total weight of the thermoplastic copolyester.Aspect 97. The foam article of any of aspects 42-96, wherein the thermoplastic copolyester comprises about 45 wt % to about 60 wt % of the plurality of second copolyester units based on a total weight of the thermoplastic copolyester.Aspect 98. foam article of any of aspects 42-97, wherein the thermoplastic copolyester comprises about 50 wt % to about 60 wt % of the plurality of second copolyester units based on a total weight of the thermoplastic copolyester.Aspect 99. The foam article of any of aspects 42-98, wherein the thermoplastic copolyester comprises about 55 wt% to about 60 wt% of the plurality of second copolyester units based on a total weight of the thermoplastic copolyester.Aspect 100. The foam article of any of aspects 1-99, further comprising an additional thermoplastic composition.Aspect 101. The foam article of aspect 100, wherein the additional thermoplastic composition comprises one or more of a thermoplastic polyurethane, an ethylene vinyl acetate polymer, a styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene thermoplastic elastomer, a polyether block amide elastomer, a polyolefin elastomer, or a combination thereof.Aspect 102. The foam article of any of aspects 1-101, further comprising an additive.Aspect 103. The foam article of any of aspects 1-102, comprising less than 5 wt% of an additive based on the total weight of the thermoplastic copolyester composition.Aspect 104. The foam article of any of aspects 1-103, wherein the additive is a wax, an antioxidant, a UV absorbing agent, a colorant, or combinations thereof.Aspect 105. The foam article of any of aspects 1-104, further comprising a filler.Aspect 106. The foam article of any of aspects 1-105, comprising less than 5 wt% of a filler, based on the total weight of the thermoplastic copolyester composition.Aspect 107. The foam article of any of aspects 1-106, wherein the filler is a particulate filler.Aspect 108. The foam article of any of aspects 1-107, wherein the filler is a carbonaceous filler.Aspect 109. The foam article of any of aspects 1-108, wherein the carbonaceous filler is carbon black, activated carbon, graphite, carbon fibers, carbon fibrils, carbon nanoparticles, or combinations thereof.Aspect 110. The foam article of any of aspects 1-109, wherein the carbonaceous filler is chemically modified.Aspect 111. The foam article of any of aspects 1-110, wherein the filler is an inorganic filler.Aspect 112. The foam article of any of aspects 1-111, wherein the inorganic filler is an oxide, a hydroxide, a salt, a silicate, a metal, or combinations thereof.Aspect 113. The foam article of any of aspects 1-112, wherein the inorganic filler comprises glass beads, glass fibers, hollow glass beads, glass flakes, MgO, SiO 2, Sb 2 O 3, Al 2 O 3, ZnO, talc, mica, kaolin, wollastonite, or combinations thereof.Aspect 114. The foam article of any of aspects 1-113, wherein the thermoplastic copolyester has a maximum load of about 10 N to about 100 N when determined using a cyclic tensile test as described herein.Aspect 115. The foam article of any of aspects 1-114, wherein the thermoplastic copolyester has a maximum load of about 15 N to about 50 N when determined using a cyclic tensile test as described herein.Aspect 116. The foam article of any of aspects 1-115, wherein the thermoplastic copolyester has a maximum load of about 20 N to about 40 N when determined using a cyclic tensile test as described herein.Aspect 117. The foam article of any of aspects 1-116, wherein the thermoplastic copolyester has a tensile modulus of about 2 MPa to 20 MPa when determined using a cyclic tensile test as described herein.Aspect 118. The foam article of any of aspects 1-117, wherein the thermoplastic copolyester has a zero shear viscosity of about 10 to about 10,000 Pa·s.Aspect 119. The foam article of any of aspects 1-118, wherein the thermoplastic copolyester has a zero shear viscosity of about 100 to about 7,000 Pa·s.Aspect 120. The foam article of any of aspects 1-119, wherein the thermoplastic copolyester has a zero shear viscosity of about 1,000 to about 5,000 Pa·s.Aspect 121. The foam article of any of aspects 1-120, wherein the thermoplastic copolyester has a tensile strength of greater than or equal to about 30 kg / cm when determined using a cyclic tensile test as described herein.Aspect 122. The foam article of any of aspects 1-121, wherein the first thermoplastic composition of the first foam further comprises one or more dyes or pigments.Aspect 123. The foam article of Aspects 1-122, wherein the first thermoplastic composition of the first foam comprises 5 wt% or less, 4 wt% or less, 3 wt% or less, 2 wt% or less, or 1 wt% or less of dyes or pigments.Aspect 124. The foam article of any of aspects 1-121, wherein the first thermoplastic composition of the first foam is substantially free of dyes or pigments.Aspect 125. The foam article of any of aspects 1-124, wherein the first foam comprises a thermoplastic multicellular foam having an open-cell foam microstructure, an average cell size of about 50 micrometers to about 500 micrometers, and a specific gravity of about 0.15 to about 0.25; wherein the first foam comprises in its composition a first thermoplastic composition comprising one or more copolyesters; and wherein the first thermoplastic composition of the first foam is free or substantially free of nucleating agents, or free or substantially free of fillers, or free or substantially free of both nucleating agents and fillers.Aspect 126. The foam article of any of aspects 1-124, wherein the first foam comprises a thermoplastic multicellular foam having an open-cell foam microstructure, an average cell size of about 50 micrometers to about 500 micrometers, and a specific gravity of about 0.15 to about 0.25; wherein the first foam comprises in its composition a first thermoplastic composition comprising one or more copolyesters; wherein the first foam is the physically foamed product of a single-phase solution of a supercritical fluid and the first thermoplastic composition in a molten state; and wherein the first thermoplastic composition of the first foam is free or substantially free of nucleating agents, or free or substantially free of fillers, or free or substantially free of both nucleating agents and fillers.Aspect 127. The foam article of aspects 125-126, wherein the foam is produced by the method comprising:forming a single phase solution of the first thermoplastic composition with the one or more thermoplastic copolyesters and the supercritical fluid, wherein the first thermoplastic composition is melted in the single phase solution;injecting the single-phase solution into a mold cavity, wherein the single-phase solution has an injection temperature during the injecting;reducing the pressure in the mold cavity and foaming the molten first thermoplastic composition, wherein the single phase solution has a foaming temperature during foaming, thereby forming a first foam, wherein the first foam is a thermoplastic multicellular foam having an open cell foam microstructure;solidifying the first foam; andremoving the solidified first foam from the mold cavity, thereby forming the cushioning member.Aspect 128. The foam article of any of aspects 125-127, wherein the supercritical fluid comprises supercritical carbon dioxide or supercritical nitrogen.Aspect 129. The foam article of any of aspects 125-128, wherein the supercritical fluid is present in the single-phase solution in an amount of about 1 percent to about 3 percent by weight based on a total weight of the single-phase solution.Aspect 130. The foam article of any of aspects 125-129, wherein the foaming temperature is from about the melting temperature of the thermoplastic copolyester as determined by differential dynamic calorimetry to about 50 degrees C above the final temperature of the thermoplastic copolyester as determined by differential dynamic calorimetry.Aspect 131. The foam article of any of aspects 1-130, wherein the layer comprises a polymeric film having the second thermoplastic composition.Aspect 132. The foam article of any of aspects 1-131, wherein the polymeric film comprises a multilayer film.Aspect 133. The foam article of any of aspects 1-132, wherein the second thermoplastic composition comprises one or more thermoplastic copolyester compositions including a thermoplastic copolyester composition of any of aspects 0-0.Aspect 134. The foam article of any of aspects 1-133, wherein the second thermoplastic composition comprises one or more thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs).Aspect 135. The foam article of any of aspects 1-134, wherein the layer is integral with the foam component.Aspect 136. The foam article of any of aspects 1-135, wherein the layer is a separate component operably coupled to the foam component.Aspect 137. The foam article of any of aspects 1-136, wherein the second thermoplastic elastomer comprises a copolyester thermoplastic elastomer, optionally wherein the copolyester thermoplastic elastomer is a copolyether ester thermoplastic elastomer.Aspect 138. The foam article of any of aspects 1-137, wherein the second thermoplastic elastomer comprises a polyether thermoplastic elastomer, optionally wherein the polyether thermoplastic elastomer is a copolyether thermoplastic elastomer, optionally wherein the copolyether thermoplastic elastomer is a copolyether ester thermoplastic elastomer or a copolyether amide thermoplastic elastomer.Aspect 139. The foam article of any of aspects 1-138, wherein the second thermoplastic elastomer comprises a polystyrene thermoplastic elastomer, optionally wherein the polystyrene thermoplastic elastomer is a styrene block copolymer thermoplastic elastomer.Aspect 140. The foam article of any of aspects 1-139, wherein the polystyrene thermoplastic elastomer is a styrene-diene copolymer thermoplastic elastomer, optionally wherein the styrene-diene copolymer thermoplastic elastomer is a styrene-butadiene copolymer thermoplastic elastomer.Aspect 141. The foam article of any of aspects 1-140, wherein the second thermoplastic composition comprises (i) a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer and (ii) ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymer, a styrene-butadiene copolymer, an ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer, or any combination thereof.Aspect 142. The foam article of any of aspects 1-141, wherein the second thermoplastic composition comprises a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer and an ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer.Aspect 143. The foam article of any of aspects 1-142, wherein the second thermoplastic composition comprises a second thermoplastic copolyester elastomer.Aspect 144. The foam article of any of aspects 1-143, wherein the layer has an average thickness of from about 0.01 millimeter to about 3 millimeters, or from about 0.03 millimeter to about 2 millimeters, or from about 0.1 millimeter to about 1 millimeter.Aspect 145. The foam article of any of aspects 1-144, wherein the foam article has a water absorption capacity at 5 minutes of less than 5 percent, or less than 4 percent, or less than 3 percent, or less than 2 percent when measured according to the water absorption test protocol.Aspect 146. The foam article of any of aspects 1-145, wherein the foam article has a water absorption capacity at 5 minutes of less than 5 percent, or less than 4 percent, or less than 3 percent, or less than 2 percent when measured according to the water absorption test protocol.Aspect 147. The foam article of any of aspects 1-146, wherein the foam article has a water absorption capacity at 5 minutes that is at least 5 percentage points less, or at least 10 percentage points less, or at least 15 percentage points less, or at least 20 percentage points less, or at least 25 percentage points less, or at least 30 percentage points less than a water absorption capacity at 5 minutes for an equivalent foam article that does not have the polymeric layer on the exterior surface when measured according to the water absorption test protocol.Aspect 148. The foam article of any of aspects 1-147, wherein the foam article has a water absorption capacity at 5 minutes that is at least 20 percent, or at least 30 percent, or at least 50 percent less than a water absorption capacity at 5 minutes for an equivalent foam article that does not have the polymeric layer on the outer surface when measured according to the water absorption test protocol.Aspect 149. The foam article of any of aspects 1-148, wherein the foam article has a sheet adhesion strength between the polymeric layer and the foam component that is greater than 2.5 kg force / centimeter or greater than 3.0 kg force / centimeter when determined using the sheet adhesion test method described herein.Aspect 150. The foam article of any of aspects 1-149, wherein the foam article has an average hand pull test result between the polymeric layer and the foam component that is greater than or equal to 2.0, or greater than or equal to 2.5, or greater than or equal to 3.0, or greater than or equal to 3.5, or greater than or equal to 4.0, or greater than or equal to 4.5 when determined according to the hand pull test method described herein.Aspect 151. The foam article of any of aspects 1-150, wherein the layer has an acronym abrasion of less than 0.50 cubic centimeters loss, optionally less than 0.40 cubic centimeters loss, less than 0.30 cubic centimeters loss, less than 0.20 cubic centimeters loss, or less than 0.10 cubic centimeters loss, as determined using the acronym abrasion test.Aspect 152. The foam article of any of aspects 1-151, wherein the layer has an acronym abrasion of less than 500 milligrams loss, optionally less than 400 milligrams loss, less than 300 milligrams loss, less than 200 milligrams loss, or less than 100 milligrams loss, as determined using the acronym abrasion test.Aspect 153. The foam article of any of aspects 1-152, wherein the layer has a DIN abrasion of less than 0.30 cubic centimeter loss, optionally less than 0.20 cubic centimeter loss, less than 0.10 cubic centimeter loss, less than 0.05 cubic centimeter loss, or less than 0.03 cubic centimeter loss, as determined using the DIN abrasion test.Aspect 154. The foam article of any of aspects 1-153, wherein the layer has a DIN abrasion of less than 300 milligrams loss, optionally less than 250 milligrams loss, optionally less than 200 milligrams loss, optionally less than 150 milligrams loss, optionally less than 100 milligrams loss, optionally less than 80 milligrams loss, optionally less than 50 milligrams loss, or optionally less than 30 milligrams, as determined using the DIN abrasion test.Aspect 155. The foam article of any of aspects 1-154, wherein the layer has a dry dynamic coefficient of friction (COF) on a dry surface of greater than 0.5, optionally greater than 0.7, greater than 0.8, greater than 0.9, greater than 1.0, as determined using the dry outsole coefficient of friction test.Aspect 156. The foam article of any of aspects 1-155, wherein the layer has a wet dynamic COF greater than 0.25, optionally greater than 0.30, greater than 0.35, greater than 0.40, or greater than 0.50, as determined using the wet outsole friction coefficient test.Aspect 157. The foam article of any of aspects 1-156, wherein the foamed first thermoplastic composition further comprises an additional thermoplastic composition.Aspect 158. The foam article of any of aspects 1-157, wherein the additional thermoplastic composition comprises one or more of a thermoplastic polyurethane, an ethylene-vinyl acetate, a styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene thermoplastic block copolymer, a polyether block amide, a polyolefin elastomer, or a combination thereof.Aspect 159. The foam article of any of aspects 1-158, wherein the foamed first thermoplastic composition further comprises an additive.Aspect 160. The foam article of any of aspects 1-159, wherein the additive is present in an amount of about 0.1 wt% to about 10 wt%, based on the total weight of the foamed first thermoplastic composition.Aspect 161. The foam article of any of aspects 1-160, wherein the additive is a wax, an antioxidant, a UV absorbing agent, a colorant, or combinations thereof.Aspect 162. The foam article of any of aspects 1-161, wherein the foamed first thermoplastic composition further comprises a filler.Aspect 163. The foam article of any of aspects 1-162, wherein the filler is present in an amount of about 0.05 wt% to about 20 wt%, based on the total weight of the foamed first thermoplastic composition.Aspect 164. The foam article of any of aspects 1-163, wherein the filler is present in an amount of about 0.1 wt% to about 10 wt%, based on the total weight of the foamed first thermoplastic composition.Aspect 165. The foam article of any of aspects 1-164, wherein the filler is a particulate filler.Aspect 166. The foam article of any of aspects 1-165, wherein the filler is a carbonaceous filler.Aspect 167. The foam article of any of aspects 1-166, wherein the carbonaceous filler is carbon black, activated carbon, graphite, carbon fibers, carbon fibrils, carbon nanoparticles, or combinations thereof.Aspect 168. The foam article of any of aspects 1-167 wherein the carbonaceous filler is chemically modified.Aspect 169. The foam article of any of aspects 1-168, wherein the filler is an inorganic filler.Aspect 170. The foam article of any of aspects 1-169, wherein the inorganic filler is an oxide, a hydroxide, a salt, a silicate, a metal, or combinations thereof.Aspect 171. The foam article of any of aspects 1-170, wherein the inorganic filler comprises glass beads, glass fibers, hollow glass beads, glass flakes, MgO, SiO 2, Sb 2 O 3, Al 2 O 3, ZnO, talc, mica, kaolin, wollastonite, or combinations thereof.Aspect 172. The foam article of any of aspects 1-171, wherein the foam article has a maximum load of about 100 N to about 4000 N when determined using the cyclic tensile test as described herein.Aspect 173. The foam article of any of aspects 1-172, wherein the first thermoplastic composition has a maximum load of about 10 N to about 100 N when determined using the cyclic tensile test as described herein.Aspect 174. The foam article of any of aspects 1-173, wherein the first thermoplastic composition has a maximum stress of about 15 N to about 50 N when determined using the cyclic tensile test as described herein.Aspect 175. The foam article of any of aspects 1-174, wherein the first thermoplastic composition has a maximum stress of about 20 N to about 40 N when determined using the cyclic tensile test as described herein.Aspect 176. The foam article of any of aspects 1-175, wherein the foam article has an energy efficiency greater than or equal to about 50 percent when determined using the cyclic compression test described herein.Aspect 177. The foam article of any of aspects 1-176, wherein the foam article has an energy efficiency greater than or equal to about 60 percent when determined using the cyclic compression test described herein.Aspect 178. The foam article of any of aspects 1-177, wherein the foam article has an energy efficiency greater than or equal to about 70 percent when determined using the cyclic compression test as described herein.Aspect 179. The foam article of any of aspects 1-178, wherein the foam article has an energy efficiency of about 50 percent to about 97 percent when determined using the cyclic compression test described herein.Aspect 180. The foam article of any of aspects 1-179, wherein the foam article has an energy return of about 400 mJ to 1000 mJ when determined using the cyclic compression test as described herein.Aspect 181. The foam article of any of aspects 1-180, wherein the foam article has an energy return of about 600 mJ to 800 mJ when determined using the cyclic compression test described herein.Aspect 182. The foam article of any of aspects 1-181, wherein the foam article has a tear separation value greater than or equal to about 1.5 kg / cm when determined using a tear separation test as described herein.Aspect 183. The foam article of any of aspects 1-182, wherein the foam article has a tear separation value greater than or equal to about 2.0 kg / cm when determined using a tear separation test as described herein.Aspect 184. The foam article of any of aspects 1-183, wherein the foam article has a tear separation value greater than or equal to about 2.5 kg / cm when determined using a tear separation test as described herein.Aspect 185. The foam article of any of aspects 1-184, wherein the foam article has a specific gravity of less than or equal to 0.9.Aspect 186. The foam article of any of aspects 1-185, wherein the foam article has a specific gravity of about 0.1 to about 0.35.Aspect 187. The foam article of any of aspects 1-186, wherein the foam article has a specific gravity of about 0.12 to about 0.20.Aspect 188. The foam article of any of aspects 1-187, wherein the foam article has a stiffness of about 200 kPa to about 1000 kPa for a cylindrical sample having a diameter of about 45 mm as determined using the cyclic compression test.Aspect 189. The foam article of any of aspects 1-188, wherein the foam article has a stiffness of about 300 kPa to about 900 kPa for a cylindrical sample having a diameter of about 45 mm as determined using the cyclic compression test.Aspect 190. The foam article of any of aspects 1-189, wherein the foam article has an Asker C durometer hardness of from about 30 to about 50, or from about 30 to about 45, or from about 35 to about 45, or from about 30 to about 40, as determined using the durometer hardness test.Aspect 191. The foam article of any of aspects 1-190, wherein the foam article has a maximum load displacement change of about 1 mm to about 5 mm when measured on foam sheets having a thickness of about 1 cm, wherein the foam sheets are compressed from 0N to 300N and back to 0N per cycle for about 5000 compression cycles using a 45 mm diameter cylindrical impact head as the compression head.Aspect 192. The foam article of any of aspects 1-191, wherein the foam article has a maximum load path change of about 2 mm to about 4 mm when measured on foam sheets having a thickness of about 1 cm, wherein the foam sheets are compressed from 0N to 300N and back to 0N per cycle for about 5000 compression cycles using a 45 mm diameter cylindrical impact head as the compression head.Aspect 193. A method of forming a foam article, comprising:forming a mixture of a molten first thermoplastic composition and a blowing agent, wherein the first thermoplastic composition comprises a thermoplastic copolyester composition;injecting the mixture into a mold cavity;foaming the molten first thermoplastic composition, thereby forming a foamed article having a microcellular foamed structure;removing the foam article from the mold cavity; anddisposing a layer comprising a second thermoplastic composition on an outer surface of the foam article.Aspect 194. The method of aspect 193, wherein the first thermoplastic composition comprises a thermoplastic copolyester composition of any of aspects 1-192.Aspect 195. The method of aspects 193-194, wherein the second thermoplastic composition comprises one or more thermoplastic copolyester compositions including a thermoplastic copolyester composition of any of aspects 9-99.Aspect 196. The method of any of aspects 193-195, wherein the second thermoplastic composition comprises one or more thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs).Aspect 197. The method of any of aspects 193-196, further comprising reducing a temperature of the molten first thermoplastic composition during the foaming step.Aspect 198. The method of any of aspects 193-197, further comprising a step of removing the foam article from the mold cavity after the arranging step.Aspect 199. The method of any of aspects 193-198, further comprising a step of removing the foam article from the mold cavity prior to the arranging step.Aspect 200. The method of any of aspects 193-199, wherein disposing the layer of the second thermoplastic composition on an outer surface of the foam article comprises placing the second thermoplastic composition in the mold cavity prior to injecting the mixture, forming the layer in the mold, and foaming the molten first thermoplastic composition in contact with the layer.Aspect 201. The method of any of aspects 193-200, wherein disposing the layer of the second thermoplastic composition on an outer surface of the foam article comprises placing a film comprising the second thermoplastic composition in the mold cavity prior to injecting the mixture and foaming the molten first thermoplastic composition in contact with the film.Aspect 202. The method of any of aspects 193-201, wherein disposing the layer of the second thermoplastic composition on an outer surface of the foam article comprises thermally laminating a film to the outer surface of the foam article, wherein the film comprises the second thermoplastic composition.Aspect 203. The method of any of aspects 193-202, wherein the thermally laminating comprises raising the temperature of the film, the outer surface of the foam article, or both, to a temperature above the softening point of the respective material and then contacting the film with the outer surface of the foam article.Aspect 204. The method of any of aspects 193-203, wherein disposing the layer of the second thermoplastic composition on an outer surface of the foam article comprises adhesively laminating a film to the outer surface of the foam article, wherein the film comprises the second thermoplastic composition.Aspect 205. The method of any of aspects 193-204, wherein disposing the layer comprising the second thermoplastic composition on an outer surface of the foam article comprises applying a coating comprising the second thermoplastic composition to an outer surface of the foam article.Aspect 206. The method of any of aspects 193-205, wherein applying a coating comprises applying a liquid coating material comprising the second thermoplastic composition or a precursor of the second thermoplastic composition to an outer surface of the foam article and then drying, curing or drying and curing the liquid coating material on the outer surface of the foam article.Aspect 207. The method of any of aspects 193-206, wherein applying the liquid coating material comprises spraying, dip coating, drum coating, brushing, or a combination thereof.Aspect 208. The method of any of aspects 193-207, wherein applying a coating comprises applying a powder coating material comprising the second thermoplastic composition or a precursor of the second thermoplastic composition to an outer surface of the foam article.Aspect 209. The method of any of aspects 193-208, wherein applying the powder coating material comprises spraying, powder coating, electrostatic coating, drum coating, or a combination thereof.Aspect 210. The method of any of aspects 193-209, wherein applying the powder coating material comprises applying an adhesive to attach the powder coating material to the foam article.Aspect 211. The method of any of aspects 193-210, wherein applying the coating further comprises heating the powder coating material and melting at least a portion of the powder coating material on the foam article.Aspect 212. The method of any of aspects 193-211, wherein applying the coating further comprises applying a solvent to the powder coating material on the foam article.Aspect 213. The method of any of aspects 193-212, wherein disposing the layer of the second thermoplastic composition on an outer surface of the foam article comprises coupling an edge or fusing belt having the second thermoplastic composition to the outer surface of the foam article.Aspect 214. The method of any of aspects 193-213, wherein the blowing agent is a physical blowing agent.Aspect 215. The method of any of aspects 193-214, wherein the physical propellant is a supercritical fluid.Aspect 216. The method of any of aspects 193-215, wherein the supercritical fluid comprises nitrogen or a supercritical fluid thereof.Aspect 217. The method of any of aspects 193-216, wherein the supercritical fluid consists essentially of nitrogen or a supercritical fluid thereof.Aspect 218. The method of any of aspects 193-217, wherein the supercritical fluid further comprises carbon dioxide or a supercritical fluid thereof.Aspect 219. The method of any of aspects 193-218, wherein the carbon dioxide is present in an amount of about 0.1 to about 5 wt %, based on a total weight of the mixture.Aspect 220. The method of any of aspects 193-219, wherein the carbon dioxide is present in an amount of about 1 to about 3 wt %, based on a total weight of the mixture.Aspect 221. The method of any of aspects 193-220, wherein the nitrogen is present in an amount of about 0.1 to about 5 wt %, based on a total weight of the mixture.Aspect 222. The method of any of aspects 193-221, wherein the nitrogen is present in an amount of about 1 to about 3 wt %, based on a total weight of the mixture.Aspect 223. The method of any of aspects 193-222, wherein forming the mixture of the molten first thermoplastic composition and the physical blowing agent comprises adding a supercritical fluid to the molten first thermoplastic composition and forming a single phase solution of the supercritical fluid dissolved in the molten first thermoplastic composition.Aspect 224. The method of any of aspects 193-223 wherein forming the mixture of the molten first thermoplastic composition and the physical blowing agent comprises infusing a solid first thermoplastic composition with a supercritical fluid to form an infused resin and melting the infused resin to form a single phase solution of the supercritical fluid and the molten first polymer mixture.Aspect 225. The method of any of aspects 193-224, wherein injecting the mixture into the mold cavity comprises injecting the mixture into a pressurized mold cavity at a first pressure greater than atmospheric pressure; and foaming the molten first thermoplastic composition comprises reducing the first pressure to a second pressure and initiating formation of gas bubbles by the physical blowing agent, thereby foaming the molten first thermoplastic composition while reducing the temperature of the molten first thermoplastic composition, and forming the microcellular foamed article.Aspect 226. The method of any of aspects 193-225, wherein the second pressure is atmospheric pressure; and wherein reducing the first pressure to the second pressure comprises venting the pressurized mold cavity to atmospheric pressure.Aspect 227. The method of any of aspects 193-226, wherein the second pressure is atmospheric pressure; and wherein reducing the first pressure to the second pressure comprises a controlled rate of pressure reduction until the mold cavity has a pressure substantially equal to atmospheric pressure.Aspect 228. The method of any of aspects 193-227, wherein the second pressure is atmospheric pressure; and wherein reducing the first pressure to a second pressure comprises reducing the pressure in a plurality of incremental steps until the mold cavity has a pressure substantially equal to atmospheric pressure.Aspect 229. The method of any of aspects 193-228, wherein reducing the first pressure to the second pressure comprises applying a gas back pressure of about 100 psi to about 3,000 psi.Aspect 230. The method of any of aspects 193-229 wherein the propellant is a chemical propellant.Aspect 231. The method of any of aspects 193-230, wherein the chemical blowing agent is present in an amount of about 0.05 wt% to about 25 wt%, based on the total weight of the first polymer blend.Aspect 232. The method of any of aspects 193-231, wherein the chemical blowing agent is present in an amount of about 0.1 wt% to about 10 wt%, based on the total weight of the first polymer blend.Aspect 233. The method of any of aspects 193-232 wherein the chemical driving is an azo compound.Aspect 234. The method of any of aspects 193-233 wherein the propellant comprises a combination of a physical propellant and a chemical propellant.Aspect 235. The method of any of aspects 193-234, wherein the blowing agent is substantially free of a chemical blowing agent or a decomposition product thereof.Aspect 236. The method of any of aspects 193-235 wherein the propellant is substantially free of a physical propellant.Aspect 237. The method of any of aspects 193-236, wherein the blend has an injection temperature; and wherein the injection temperature is from about the melting temperature of the thermoplastic copolyester composition to about 50°C above the final temperature of the thermoplastic copolyester composition.Aspect 238. The method of any of aspects 193-237, wherein the injection temperature ranges from about the melting temperature of the thermoplastic copolyester composition to a temperature that is about 0°C, 5°C, 10°C, 15°C, 20°C, 25°C, 30°C, 35°C, 40°C, 45°C, or 50°C above the final temperature of the thermoplastic copolyester composition.Aspect 239. The method of any of aspects 193-238, wherein the foaming occurs at a foaming temperature; and wherein the foaming temperature is from about the melting temperature of the thermoplastic copolyester composition to about 50°C above the final temperature of the thermoplastic copolyester composition.Aspect 240. The method of any of aspects 193-239, wherein the foaming temperature ranges from about the melting temperature of the thermoplastic copolyester composition to a temperature that is about 0°C, 5°C, 10°C, 15°C, 20°C, 25°C, 30°C, 35°C, 40°C, 45°C, or 50°C above the final temperature of the thermoplastic copolyester composition.Aspect 241. The method of any of aspects 193-240, the method further comprising placing a textile element in the mold cavity prior to injecting the mixture and foaming the molten first thermoplastic composition in contact with the textile element.Aspect 242. The method of any of aspects 192-241, wherein the textile element comprises a woven, braided, crocheted, knitted textile comprising one or more yarns, each of the one or more yarns being formed from one or more individual fibers.Aspect 243. The method of any of aspects 192-242, wherein the textile element comprises a non-woven textile comprising a plurality of fibers.Aspect 244. The method of any of aspects 192-241, wherein the one or more fibers or yarns comprise a thermoplastic composition comprising polyester, thermoplastic polyurethane, or combinations thereof.Aspect 245. The method of any of aspects 192-244, wherein the textile element is a component for an upper for an article of footwear.Aspect 246. The method of any of aspects 192-245, wherein the foam article is a component of an article of footwear.Aspect 247. The method of any of aspects 192-246, wherein the foam article is a component of an article of apparel.Aspect 248. The method of any of aspects 192-247, wherein the foam article is a component of a sports equipment article.Aspect 249. A molding system for forming a foam article, comprising: a first cylinder receiving a first screw configured to receive a molten first thermoplastic composition and form a mixture of the molten first thermoplastic composition comprising a thermoplastic copolyester composition and a blowing agent, and adjusting a position of the first screw in the first cylinder to regulate a flow rate of the mixture out of the first cylinder; a mold cavity configured to contain the mixture during foaming, form the foamed mixture, and solidify the formed foamed mixture into the foam article; a first injection or extrusion device configured to receive the mixture and extrude or inject it into the mold cavity at a first injection pressure and a first injection temperature; and a first temperature control and monitoring system configured to control the injection temperature or a foaming temperature at which the molten first thermoplastic composition is foamed in the mold cavity, or both.Aspect 250. The molding system of aspect 249, further comprising a second cylinder receiving a second screw configured to receive a molten second thermoplastic composition and adjust a position of the second screw in the second cylinder to regulate a flow rate of the second thermoplastic composition out of the second cylinder; and a second injection or extrusion device configured to receive the second thermoplastic composition and extrude or inject it into the mold cavity at a second injection pressure and a second injection temperature; and a second temperature control and monitoring system configured to control the second injection temperature or a second molding temperature at which the molten second thermoplastic composition is held in the mold cavity, or both.Aspect 251. The molding system of aspects 249-250, wherein the first temperature control and monitoring system is configured to control the first injection temperature of the blend or the foaming temperature of the molten first thermoplastic composition, or both, within a temperature ranging from about the melting temperature of the thermoplastic copolyester composition to about 50 degrees C. above the final temperature of the thermoplastic copolyester composition.Aspect 252. The molding system of any of aspects 249-251, further comprising a gas back pressure assembly coupled to the mold cavity, the gas back pressure assembly configured to regulate an amount of a back pressure gas flow into the mold cavity before, during, or after extruding or injecting the mixture into the mold cavity or during foaming of the molten first thermoplastic composition in the mold cavity.Aspect 253. The molding system of any of aspects 249-252, further comprising a mold cavity venting system configured to regulate a pressure loss rate due to gas flow from the mold cavity.Aspect 254. The molding system of any of aspects 249-253, the system further comprising a gate system in fluid communication with the injection or extrusion device and the mold cavity.Aspect 255. The molding system of any of aspects 249-254, wherein the sprue system is configured to control a temperature of the mixture as it flows through the sprue.Aspect 256. The molding system of any of aspects 249-255, wherein the sprue system is configured to heat the mixture as it flows through the sprue.Aspect 257. A molding system according to any of aspects 249-256, the system comprising a pressure control arrangement configured to control a pressure of the mixture as it enters the mold cavity.Aspect 258. A method of operating a molding system for forming a foam article, comprising: forming a mixture of a molten first thermoplastic composition comprising a thermoplastic copolyester composition and a blowing agent in a first cylinder receiving a first screw; adjusting a position of the first screw in the first cylinder to regulate a flow rate of the mixture out of the first cylinder; flowing the mixture out of the first cylinder into a mold cavity; extruding or injecting the mixture into the mold cavity at a first injection pressure and a first injection pressure; foaming the molten first thermoplastic composition in the mold cavity at a foaming temperature, thereby forming a foamed molten first thermoplastic composition; and solidifying the foamed molten first thermoplastic composition in the mold cavity, thereby forming a foam article having a multicellular foam structure.Aspect 259. The method of operating of aspect 258, the method further comprising providing a molten second thermoplastic composition in a second cylinder receiving a second screw; adjusting a position of the second screw in the second cylinder to regulate a flow rate of the mixture out of the second cylinder; flowing the molten second thermoplastic composition out of the second cylinder into the mold cavity; extruding or injecting the second thermoplastic composition into the mold cavity at a second injection pressure and a second injection pressure; and solidifying the molten second thermoplastic composition in the mold cavity, thereby forming a polymeric layer.Aspect 260. The method of operating according to any of aspects 258-259, the method further comprising monitoring and controlling the first injection temperature of the blend or the first foaming temperature of the molten first thermoplastic composition, or both, within a temperature ranging from about the melting temperature of the thermoplastic copolyester composition to about 50°C above the final temperature of the thermoplastic copolyester composition.Aspect 261. The method of operating of any of aspects 258-260, further comprising regulating an amount of backpressure gas flowing into the mold cavity before, during, or after extruding or injecting the mixture into the mold cavity or during foaming of the molten first thermoplastic composition in the mold cavity.Aspect 262. The method of operating of any of aspects 258-261 further comprising releasing gas from the mold cavity at a controlled rate during extrusion or injection or during foaming.Aspect 263. The method of operating of any of aspects 258-262, further comprising controlling a temperature of the mixture as it flows through a sprue channel into the mold cavity.Aspect 264. The method of operating of any of aspects 258-263, further comprising controlling the first injection pressure of the mixture as it enters the mold cavity.Aspect 265. An article comprising the foam article of any of aspects 1-192.Aspect 266. An article comprising the foam article produced by the method of any of aspects 193-248.Aspect 267. The article of aspects 265-266, wherein the article is an article of footwear.Aspect 268. The article of any of aspects 265-267, wherein the foam article is a cushioning element in the article of footwear.Aspect 269. The article of any of aspects 265-268, wherein the cushioning element is a component of a sole structure in the article of footwear.Aspect 270. The article of any of aspects 265-269, wherein the foam article is a component of a sole structure in the article of footwear.Aspect 271. The article of any of aspects 265-270, wherein the sole structure includes a first side configured to face the ground when the sole structure is a component of an article of footwear, a second side opposite the first side, and a sidewall extending at least partially between the first side and the second side; wherein the layer including the second thermoplastic composition is disposed on one or more of the first side, the second side, or the sidewall.Aspect 272. The article of any of aspects 265-271, wherein the sole structure is a midsole.Aspect 273. The article of any of aspects 265-272, wherein the sole structure is a plate.Aspect 274. The article of any of aspects 265-273, wherein the sole structure is an installation frame.Aspect 275. The article of any of aspects 265-274, wherein the sole structure is a bladder.Aspect 276. The article of any of aspects 265-275, wherein the sole structure is a bladder and the foam article is disposed on an outer surface of the bladder.Aspect 277. The article of any of aspects 265-276, wherein the sole structure is heel cushioning.Aspect 278. The article of any of aspects 265-277, wherein the sole structure comprises a shell component at least partially enclosing the foam article, wherein the shell component comprises the layer comprising the second thermoplastic composition.Aspect 279. The article of any of aspects 265-278, wherein the shell component encloses the foam article on the first side and the sidewall of the sole structure.Aspect 280. The article of any of aspects 265-279, wherein the shell component is attached to the top of the article of footwear.Aspect 281. The article of any of aspects 265-280, wherein the sole structure further comprises an outsole component on the ground-facing side of the sole structure.Aspect 282. The article of any of aspects 265-281, wherein the outsole component comprises a vulcanized rubber.Aspect 283. The article of any of aspects 265-282, wherein a side of the foam article is connected to a top.Aspect 284. The article of any of aspects 265-283, wherein the top comprises a polyester yarn, a polyester fiber, a thermoplastic polyurethane yarn, a thermoplastic polyurethane fiber, or combinations thereof.Aspect 285. The article of any of aspects 265-284, wherein the side of the foam article that is bonded to a top is bonded using an adhesive.Aspect 286. The article of any of aspects 265-285, wherein the side of the foam article joined to a top portion is substantially free of an adhesive at a bonding interface between the side of the foam article and the top portion.Aspect 287. The article of any of aspects 265-286, wherein the article is an article of apparel.Aspect 288. The article of any of aspects 265-287, wherein the article is a sports equipment article.Aspect 289. A method of making an article of footwear, comprising:securing a foam article and an additional member together;wherein the foam article is a foam article according to any one of aspects 1-192.Aspect 290. A method of making an article of footwear, comprising:securing a foam article and an additional member together;wherein the foam article is a foam article formed according to the method of any of aspects 193-248.Aspect 291. The method of aspects 289-290, wherein the additional element is a textile element, a film element, a solid element, or a combination thereof.EXAMPLESHaving now generally described the aspects of the present disclosure, the following examples describe some additional aspects of the present disclosure. While aspects of the present disclosure will be described in connection with the following examples and corresponding text and figures, there is no intention to limit aspects of the present disclosure to this description. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents included within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.Materials.HYTREL 3078 and HYTREL 4068 were purchased from DuPont (Wilmington, Delaware).Processing conditions.Foam sheets were prepared according to the conditions shown in Table 1 below:Table 1. Table 1.Hytrel 4068210541002.51750.5600End of Fill EndHytrel 3078200401002.51750.5600End of Fill EndFoam midsoles were prepared according to the conditions shown in Table 2 below:Table 2. Table 2.Hytrel 4068210541002.54001751.22600End of Fill EndHytrel 3078200401002.54001751.5600End of Fill EndFoam sheets were prepared according to the conditions shown in Table 3 below. Table 3. Table 3.1Triel® 5400160+5-16good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good 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coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse coarse5Toyobo P-30B245+70+52Coarser coarse coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser coarser larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger larger largerCross-sectional views of the foam sheets described above are shown in Figures 9A-9D (for No. 2-5 above) and Figure 10 (for No. 1 above).Example 1. Exemplary Data of Foam Sheets.Foam sheets were prepared as described above using HYTREL 4068. Exemplary compression data is shown in FIG. 6. The data were obtained by a cyclic compression test protocol on a plate in the form of a cylindrical impact element having the following dimensions: thickness - 20 mm; diameter - 44.86 mm. The compression data in FIG. 6 is a representative compression curve. The data obtained from these tests are summarized in Table 4 below. Table 4. Table 4.Hytrel 4068554800.37787397Specific gravity for foam sheets prepared as described above was determined to be 0.16-0.28 for HYTREL 4068 and 0.17-0.26 for HYTREL 3078.The foam sheets described above in Table 3 were subjected to energy return analysis as described herein. The results are shown in Table 5 below. Table 5. Table 5.1Triel® 540028302Toyobo P-30B20503Toyobo P-30B29404Toyobo P-30B31505Toyobo P-30B2950Example 2. Exemplary Foam Midsole Data.Foam midsoles were prepared as described above using HYTREL 4068. Compression data were obtained by a cyclic compression test protocol using a foot shape as described above. The data obtained from these tests are summarized in Table 6 below. Table 6. Table 6.Hytrel 4068N / A17311.57744078Specific gravity for foam midsoles prepared as described above was determined to be 0.19-0.27 for HYTREL 4068 and 0.19-0.26 for HYTREL 3078.Example 3. Example Hand Train Data.A foam article was prepared having a first foam component and a second foam component. The first foam component was an open cell foam formed from a first thermoplastic copolyester composition comprising HYTREL 4068 containing less than 1% by weight of non-polymeric materials. The first thermoplastic copolyester composition was injection molded, foamed and bonded in place to the second solid component. The thermoplastic copolyester composition was foamed using the MUCELL process by forming a single phase solution of carbon dioxide and the thermoplastic copolyester composition. The first thermoplastic copolyester composition was injection molded and foamed onto a preformed second component as described below. The second solid component was prepared as a solid sheet using a second thermoplastic copolyester composition, i.e., a second thermoplastic composition comprising one of the four listed polymers shown in the table below (MP IN15074, HYTREL 3078, TRIEL 5202SU and SP9339, which are further described in Table 8). The first foam component was bonded to the second foam component, i.e., a panel having a solid second thermoplastic composition, by injecting, foaming, and molding a single phase solution of carbon dioxide and a thermoplastic copolyester composition having HYTREL 4068 onto the outsole panel in an injection mold. Before placing the outsole plate in the mold, one of the following treatments was performed: a) no surface preparation was performed on the surface of the outsole plate onto which the foam was injected (i.e., control sample); b) the plate surface of the outsole was wiped with methyl ethyl ketone prior to insertion into the mold; c) the plate surface of the outsole was treated immediately prior to insertion into the mold and injection of the foam composition using a rotating cone free air plasma treatment, with the plate surface held 1 cm from the emitting head and the plate moved past the emitting head at a speed of about 100-200 mm / s; or d) the outsole plate was heated using an infrared lamp for at least 30 seconds after insertion into the mold and immediately prior to injection of the foam composition. The equipment used was a plasma treat OPENAIR PLASMA system with an RD293 head (Plasma treat GmbH, Steinhagen, Germany).Hand-pull data were obtained using the hand-pull test described hereinabove. The data obtained are shown in Table 7 below. The data in Table 7 show that good bonding of the foam to an outsole material can be achieved using a direct bonding process with little or no additional process steps prior to foaming and forming the first foam component in place. Table 7. Table 7.No treatment123.52MEK Wipe1333Plasma treatment1.54.543.5IR Pretreatment14.544* Values correspond to the following results in the hand-pull test: 1 - Peel off easilyAdhesion failure; 2 - Adhesion failure but some resistance; 3 - 4.5 Cohesive foam failureFabric failure, different degrees of foam skin failure; and 5-Non-separable)Example 4 Example Data of Characterizing the Second Thermoplastic Composition - Coefficient of Friction - Polymer Samples.Sample preparation, coefficient of friction and other test procedures were carried out as described above. The friction coefficient data for wood and concrete surfaces are shown in the table shown in Figs. 11, 12, 12A and 12B. The materials referred to in FIGS. 11, 12, 12A, and 12B are further described in Table 8 below. Table 8. Table 8.BT 1030DCoPe TPESolid State BodyLGDesmopan 8795ATPUFoam FoamCovestroEllastolan b70aTPUSolid State BodyLubrizolEllastolan SP9339TPUFoam FoamBASFEllastolan SP9339TPUSolid State BodyBASFEstane t470a-3TPUSolid State BodyLubrizolHPF AD1035Ethlyenic TPE / ionomerSol...

Claims

A cushioning element for an article of footwear (10), comprising: an injection molded foam component (72) having an outer surface oriented toward an outward side of an article of footwear (10) when the foam component (72) is disposed in the article of footwear (10), the foam component (72) comprising a foamed first thermoplastic composition comprising a first thermoplastic copolyester elastomer and having a multicellular open-cell foam structure; and a polymeric layer (74) comprising a second thermoplastic composition, the polymeric layer (74) being disposed on at least a portion of the outer surface of the foam component (72); wherein the first thermoplastic composition is structurally different than the second thermoplastic composition.The damping element of claim 1, wherein the second thermoplastic composition comprises a second copolyester thermoplastic elastomer.The attenuator of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the first copolyester thermoplastic elastomer comprises (a) a plurality of first segments, each first segment being derived from a dihydroxy terminated polydiol; (b) a plurality of second segments, each second segment being derived from a diol; and (c) a plurality of third segments, each third segment being derived from an aromatic dicarboxylic acid.The damping element of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first copolyester thermoplastic elastomer comprises (a) a plurality of first copolyester units, each first copolyester unit of the plurality comprising the first segment derived from a dihydroxy-terminated polydiol and the third segment derived from an aromatic dicarboxylic acid, wherein the first copolyester unit has a structure represented by a formula 1: wherein R 1 is a group remaining after removing terminal hydroxyl groups from the poly(alkylene oxide)diol of the first segment, wherein the poly(alkylene oxide)diol of the first segment is a poly(alkylene oxide)diol having a number average molecular weight of about 400 to about 6000; and wherein R 2 is a group remaining after removal of carboxyl groups from the third segment aromatic dicarboxylic acid; and (b) a plurality of second copolyester units, each second copolyester unit of the plurality having the second segment derived from a diol and the third segment derived from an aromatic dicarboxylic acid, wherein the second copolyester unit has a structure represented by a formula 2: wherein R 3 is a group remaining after removal of hydroxyl groups from the second segment diol derived from a diol, wherein the diol is a diol having a molecular weight of less than about 250; and wherein R 2 is the group remaining after removal of carboxyl groups from the third segment aromatic dicarboxylic acid.The damping element of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the foam has a specific gravity of about 0.05 to about 0.25.The damping element of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the open cell foam microstructure has an average cell size of about 50 microns to about 1 millimeter.The damping element of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the first thermoplastic composition of the foam is free or substantially free of nucleating agents, or free or substantially free of fillers, or free or substantially free of both nucleating agents and fillers.The damping element of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the first thermoplastic composition comprises less than about 5 weight percent solid non-polymeric material based on the total weight of the first thermoplastic composition.The damping element of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the polymeric layer has an average thickness of about 0.01 millimeters to about 3 millimeters.The cushioning element of any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the cushioning element has a water absorption capacity at 5 minutes that is at least 2 percentage points less than a water absorption capacity at 5 minutes for an equivalent cushioning element lacking the polymeric layer as determined using the water absorption capacity test method.The damping element of any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the damping element has a sheet adhesion strength between the polymeric layer and the foam component that is greater than 2.5 kg force / centimeter when determined using the sheet adhesion test method described herein.The damping element of any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the damping element has an average hand tension test result between the polymeric layer and the foam component that is greater than or equal to 2.0 when determined according to the hand tension test method described herein.The cushioning element according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the cushioning element is a midsole (26) or a heel pad.An article of footwear (10) comprising the cushioning member according to any one of claims 1 to 13.A method of making a cushioning element for an article of footwear (10), comprising: forming a foam component (72) by injection molding a first thermoplastic composition in an injection mold, the foam component having an outer surface and a multicellular open-cell foam structure, the first thermoplastic composition comprising a first thermoplastic copolyester elastomer; and disposing a polymeric layer (74) on at least a portion of the outer surface of the foam component (72), the polymeric layer (74) comprising a second thermoplastic composition; wherein the first thermoplastic composition is structurally different than the second thermoplastic composition.The method of claim 15, wherein the forming comprises solidifying the first thermoplastic composition to maintain the multicellular foam structure and removing the solidified foam component (72) from the injection mold; and wherein the disposing after the solidifying comprises applying heat or vacuum or both heat and vacuum to a thermoplastic film having the second thermoplastic composition, thereby disposing and bonding the polymeric film on the outer surface of the foam component (72), forming the polymeric layer (74) on the outer surface of the foam component (72), and forming the cushioning element.The method of claim 15, wherein the forming comprises solidifying the first thermoplastic composition to maintain the multicellular foam structure and removing the solidified foam component (72) from the injection mold; and wherein the disposing after the solidifying comprises applying the second thermoplastic composition in liquid form to the outer surface of the foam component (72) and allowing the second thermoplastic composition to solidify, thereby forming, disposing, and bonding the polymeric layer (74) to the outer surface of the foam component (72) and forming the cushioning element.The method of claim 17, wherein applying the second thermoplastic composition in liquid form comprises spraying, printing or brushing the second thermoplastic composition onto the outer surface, and allowing the second thermoplastic composition to solidify comprises evaporating a solvent from the second thermoplastic composition.The method of claim 15, wherein the forming and disposing comprises disposing a polymeric film comprising the second thermoplastic composition in the injection mold; melting the first polymeric composition; foaming the molten first polymeric composition; extruding the foamed first polymeric composition into the mold and onto an exposed surface of the polymeric film in the mold; solidifying the foamed first thermoplastic material, thereby bonding the exposed surface of the polymeric film to the solidified foamed first thermoplastic material and forming the polymeric layer (74) on the foam component (72), and thereby forming the cushioning member; and removing the cushioning member from the injection mold.The method of claim 19, wherein the forming and disposing comprises placing a polymeric film comprising the second thermoplastic composition in the injection mold; melting the first polymeric composition; injecting the molten first polymeric composition into the mold and onto an exposed surface of the polymeric film in the mold; foaming the molten first polymeric composition in the mold; solidifying the foamed first thermoplastic material, thereby bonding the exposed surface of the polymeric film to the solidified foamed first thermoplastic material and forming the polymeric layer (74) on the foam component (72), and thereby forming the cushioning element; and removing the cushioning element from the injection mold.The method of any one of claims 15 to 20, wherein the foam component (72) has a specific gravity of 0.05 to 0.25.

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