Mechanical,acoustic, and thermal performances of shear thickening fluid–filled rigid polyurethane foam composites: Effects of content of shear thickening fluid and particle size of silica

Shear thickening fluid (STF) features a rheological property, and rigid polyurethane (PU) foams feature low thermal conductivity and excellent acoustic insulation. In this study, an STF/PU rigid foam composite sandwich structure was designed using different contents (0, 0.5, 1, or 1.5 wt %) of STF that contained 14 nm, 40 nm, or 75 nm silicon dioxide (SiO₂). The effects of STF content and silica size on the cell structure, mechanical performance, acoustic absorption, and thermal performance of the STF/PU foam were explored. The test results show that STF/PU foam exhibited three characteristic acoustic absorption peaks, and the maximum acoustic absorption coefficient reached 0.841. STF addition increased compression, bending strength, and maximum acoustic coefficient, as well as initial mass loss temperature. STF-filled PU foam composites containing 14 nm and 40 nm SiO₂ had a mild rise in thermal insulation. The rigid STF/PU foam composites with a cell structure had the maximum thermal conductivity of 0.22 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹ and sound absorption coefficient of 0.841, which confirm that they are a good candidate for sound-absorbing energy conservation materials. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47359.     

Polyurethane/poly(vinylidene fluoride)/MWCNT composite foam for broadband airborne sound absorption

A polyurethane/poly(vinylidene fluoride)/multi-walled carbon nanotubes (PU/PVDF/MWCNT) (83/15/2) composite foam was designed and fabricated. The foam exhibited high airborne sound absorption performance in a wide-frequency range. The sound absorption coefficient reached the value of 0.85 at 1 kHz, which is a significant improvement over PU foam. It was found that PVDF formed a separate immiscible phase and part of it was crystallized in a polar phase in the PU scaffold in the PU/PVDF/MWCNT composite, which could benefit the sound absorption performance by introducing interfacial damping and local piezoelectric damping effects. The introduction of the conductive MWCNT filament in the composite foam further improved sound absorption, possibly by facilitating the dissipation of the electrical charges generated from local piezoelectric effect and enhancing both the interfacial damping effect and local piezoelectric damping effect. With PU as the main ingredient, the fabrication scalability of the foam can be improved with significantly reduced material and production cost in comparison with PVDF foam. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47868.     

Optimization of sound absorption property for polyurethane foam using adaptive simulated annealing algorithm

Polyurethane foam is one of the sound absorbing materials because of its advantage in lightweight, sound absorption and low cost. Therefore, it is important to optimize the formulation for better sound absorption performance. In this study, experimental optimization was carried out with a response surface methodology to investigate the effects of different variables including catalyst triethanolamine, catalyst A33, and additive polyethylene fiber. The mathematical model was developed for correlating experimental data. The model parameters were optimized by adaptive simulated annealing algorithm. The maximum acoustic property of the foams was found to be 0.68 by adding 3.2 g triethanolamine, 1.0 g A33, and 0.1 g polyethylene fiber. Then, the polyurethane foam was synthesized according to the optimization results. The sound absorption coefficient of it is within the allowable error of the optimization result. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 46426.     

Investigations on the adhesion and interfacial properties of polyurethane foam/thermoplastic materials

The adhesion and interfacial properties of polyurethane (PU) foams with thermoplastic (TP) materials were investigated using different techniques. The adhesion performance of PU foam with TP materials was evaluated using the peel test method, and the adhesion durability was checked after different climate treatments. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and contact angle measurements were used to study the surface and interface morphology of PU foam and TP material system. Three types of PU foam samples which differ in their composition and also five commercially available TP blends systems, based on poly(carbonate), poly(styrene‐co‐maleic anhydride), poly(acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene), and silicone acrylate rubber have been used. The slow reacting foam shows the best adhesion properties with all the TP materials. The climate treatments strongly effected the PU foam adhesion durability with poly(carbonate) containing TP materials (70–80% loss in adhesion), but nearly no effect with poly(styrene‐co‐maleic anhydride). The samples with lowered adhesion could be separated by peeling without visible foam residues on the TP surface. AFM, XPS, and surface tension studies have shown that the surface properties of the TP material are still governed by the PU foam. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 104: 479–488, 2007     

可再生聚酯多元醇的合成及其在聚氨酯材料中的应用

采用油酸为主要原料合成了羟值为236mgKOH／g、酸值为2．8mgKOH／g的可再生聚酯多元醇,并以此聚酯多元醇为原料制备了聚氨酯硬质泡沫。研究了该聚酯多元醇用量对泡沫发泡和力学性能的影响。结果表明,随着聚酯多元醇加入量的增加,形成聚氨酯硬质泡沫的反应速度增加;与纯聚醚多元醇制备的聚氨酯硬质泡沫相比,加入20％～30％的该聚酯多元醇制备的聚氨酯泡沫的尺寸稳定性和压缩强度增加。     

Preparation and characterization of silicone oil modified polyurethane damping materials

A series of polyurethane (PU) composites, which could be used as damping materials, with different contents of hydroxyl silicone oil were successfully prepared in this study. The damping and mechanical properties, thermal stability, and molecular groups of the PU composites were characterized by dynamic mechanical analysis, electronic tensile analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, respectively. The surface morphology was also observed via scanning electron microscopy (SEM). FTIR spectroscopy showed that the hydroxyl silicone oil was embedded in the PU. The soft and hard segments of the PU composites appeared thermodynamically incompatible and showed microphase separation, as shown by the SEM pictures. The PU composite with 8% hydroxyl silicone oil was found to possess the best synthetic properties among these composites. The maximum values of tan δ were 0.376, 0.561, and 0.573 at 1, 10, and 20 Hz, respectively. The temperature range for the use of damping materials becomes wider at 1 Hz. Frequencies of 10 and 20 Hz might suitable surroundings for the application of damping materials. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47579.     

Fabrication of Biodegradable Polyurethane Foam Scaffolds with Customized Shapes and Controlled Mechanical Properties by Gas Foaming Technique

Poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL)-based polyurethane (PU) foam scaffolds with different mechanical properties are fabricated using a gas foaming technique to use as porous substitutes for ear or bone with cartilage. PCL diol or triol is used as a polyol in PU foam for biocompatibility and biodegradation, with an aqueous gelatin solution as a blowing agent. The highly porous inner and outer structures of the scaffolds are developed by employing a silicone surfactant and sulfuric acid, respectively. The PU scaffolds prepared by PCL diol show ductile and flexible properties, whereas the PU scaffolds prepared by PCL triol exhibit high compression strength. In vitro test reveals the low toxicity of the PU scaffolds and the high ALP activity of MC3T3-E1 cells in the PU scaffold prepared by PCL triol. By taking advantage of the difference in mechanical properties, customized PU scaffolds with ear or bone shapes are fabricated using a silicone mold. The PU scaffolds with two compartments of PCL diol and triol (corresponding to cartilage and bone, respectively) are fabricated as a substitute for bone with cartilage. It is believed that the PU scaffolds with highly porous structure and controlled mechanical properties have wide potential application for tissue engineering.     

Development,characterization, and modeling of environmentally friendly open‐cell acoustic foams

This study shows the development of new polymeric open‐cell foams from polypropylene (PP) and polylactide (PLA) resins with a focus on sound absorption properties and modeling of these foams. The objective is to develop new environmentally friendly foams to replace the existing non‐recyclable Polyurethane foams are currently used for sound insulation in industry. Through this research, open‐cell foams of about 90% porosity were fabricated from PP and PLA. These resins were selected since PP is a recyclable thermoplastic polymer, and PLA is a bio‐based thermoplastic polymer made from renewable resources. Polyurethane (PU) foam which is currently used for sound absorption and noise control in industry was compared to the fabricated PP and PLA foams. As the first attempt to fabricate environmentally friendly acoustic foams, the resulting foam structures show improved properties as compared to the existing materials. The average absorption of PP and PLA foams fabricated is in the range of 0.42–0.55 which is comparable or even higher than the average absorption of PU foam. To better understand the effect of structural and material properties on sound absorption and further improve the acoustic performance of bio‐based foams, an analytical model based on Johnson–Champoux–Allard model was used to numerically simulate the acoustic performance of foams under study. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2013. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers     

软泡匀泡剂D-529的合成及其性能研究

以含氢硅油与不饱和聚醚的硅氢加成反应合成了软泡匀泡剂D-529,并对这种醚基封端的硅碳型聚氨酯软泡匀泡剂D-529的合成及其某些性能进行了研究。结果表明,在结构上与美国L-580匀泡剂属同一类型,发泡性能与L-580相似,并且用量小、活性高。     

Preparation and characterization of polyurethane foam/activated carbon composite adsorbents

A polyurethane foam (PU)/activated carbon (AC) composite was prepared by adding granular AC during the synthesis of PU foam, and subsequent carbonization. Nitrogen adsorption?Cdesorption isotherms and scanning electron microscopy were used to ascertain the pore structure and surface morphology of the samples. The prepared composite foams possess well-developed open cell structures. Under the conditions investigated, a higher carbonization temperature promoted development of porous structures. Thermogravimetric and derivative thermogravimetric analyses revealed the thermostability of the PU foam precursor/AC composites. The adsorption performance of the composites was evaluated using phenol, iodine and methylene blue (MB) as model compounds. A PU foam/AC composite with a maximum specific surface area of 655.0?m²/g, maximum iodine number of 525.2?mg/g, and maximum adsorption capacity of MB and phenol of 100 and 66.5?mg/g, respectively, was achieved.     

Influences of rice hull in polyurethane foam on its sound absorption characteristics

In this article, rice hull (RH) was used in the moulding of polyurethane (PU) foam system. The article analyzed the participation of RH in the chemical reaction of PU synthesis with Attenuated Total Reflection‐Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy method. Besides, the influence of RH on the formation of pore structure along with the acoustic performance such as sound impedance rate, acoustic reflection factor, sound absorption coefficient, and transmission loss of the products were studied with the Transfer Function Method. The results indicated that RH significantly influenced the uniformity of pore diameter in PU foam. As the content of RH increased, the sound absorption peak shifted toward lower frequency region. And the sound absorption coefficients increased till a threshold value of RH content. POLYM. COMPOS., 34:1847–1855, 2013. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Exceptionally flame-retardant flexible polyurethane foam composites: synergistic effect of the silicone resin/graphene oxide coating

A facile strategy was developed to fabricate flexible polyurethane (PU) foam composites with exceptional flame retardancy. The approach involves the incorporation of graphene oxide (GO) into a silicone resin (SiR) solution, which is then deposited onto a PU foam surface via the dip-coating technique and cured. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy measurements demonstrated that the SiR and GO were successfully coated onto the PU skeleton and the intrinsic porous structure of the PU foam remained intact. The effects of SiR and GO on the mechanical and thermal stability and flame retardancy of PU composites were evaluated through compression tests, thermogravimetric analysis, vertical combustion tests, and the limiting oxygen index. The measurement results revealed that the composites (PU@SiR-GO) showed superior flame retardancy and thermal and mechanical stability compared to pristine PU or PU coated with SiR alone. The mechanical and thermal stability and the flame-retardant properties of the PU composites were enhanced significantly with increasing GO content. Based on the composition, microstructure, and surface morphology of PU@SiR-GO composites before and after combustion tests, a possible flame-retardance mechanism is proposed. This work provides a simple and effective strategy for fabricating flame-retardant composites with improved mechanical performance.     

Preparation and characterization of polyurethane/silica aerogel nanocomposite materials

In this investigation, silica aerogel (SA)/Rigid Polyurethane (PUR) foam composites and silica aerogel/Polyurethane (PU) composites were prepared by dry mixing of granular and grinded silica aerogels with polyol part. They were then combined with diisocyanate part. Three different types of PUR foams and an elastomeric coating grade of PU were studied as well. Results show that thermal conductivity of foams did not decrease by adding silica aerogel. It even increased for some grades which is assumed to be due to the change in cell configuration of these foams. It was also found that sound insulation performance of these cellular composites did not improve significantly. Unlike foam composites, addition of silica aerogel into elastomeric PU improved its thermal and acoustic insulation properties. Because of the more promising properties of elastomeric PU composites, further examinations including measurements of compression strength and water contact angle of silica aerogel/PU composites were also taken. Final results showed a significant improvement in general properties of PU coatings by adding little amounts of silica aerogel (1–4 wt %). © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 44521.     

Electrically conductive foamed polyurethane/silicone rubber/graphite nanocomposites as radio frequency wave absorbing material: The role of foam structure

Radio frequency wave absorber nanocomposites based on a flexible polyurethane (PU) foam has been manufactured by impregnation of the foam in n‐hexane solution of room temperature vulcanizing silicone rubber (SR), hybridized with graphite nanosheets (GNs) called doping solution. After impregnation, dried samples were kept at ambient temperature for the curing of the soaked graphitized SR. To evaluate the influences of the PU foam structural parameters on electrical conductivity, permittivity, and reflection loss characteristics, various foams with different structures were impregnated in the crosslinkable doping solution. Electrical conductivity, real, and imaginary parts of permittivity were measured within the frequency range of 4–6 GHz via performing waveguide measurements. The coarse thick wall PU foam sample exhibited higher conductivity and permittivity than the fine wire mesh sample having similar amounts of conductive SR/GN doping agent. Moreover, nanocomposites based on coarse foam samples showed higher potential for the wave absorption at lower absorber thickness than the fine wire mesh PU foam. The higher conductivity and hence imaginary permittivity of the coarse structure is attributed to the better coincidence of conductive paths in the PU/SR/GN nanocomposite foam with lines of electric field of the incident wave. The higher real permittivity of the coarse nanocomposite is suggested to be related to the more mutual interactions between graphite nanolayers and aggregates which form a network of minicapacitors in the structure of nanocomposites, leading to a higher capacitance and hence more real permittivity. POLYM. COMPOS., 2012. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Effect of ingredient ratios of rigid polyurethane foam on foam core panels properties

One‐step manufacturing process (in‐situ foaming) provide great potential for the production of foam core panels. Polyurethane (PU) foam showed good applicability for use for in‐situ foaming. Here, the effect of ingredient ratios of rigid PU foam on foam performance and panel properties is investigated. It was observed that the isocyanate (ISO) content and polyols (PO) type and content significantly change the foam and panel properties. Foam cell density, as the most important factor influencing the foam characteristics, was higher in foams with higher ISO and polyether content. Bending strength, internal bond and screw withdrawal resistance of the foam core panels were significantly enhanced when the ISO and polyether content was increased in the foam formulation. Varying the ISO content had no influence on panel properties with higher content of polyester (60%) in the PO blend. Varying the foam ingredient ratios did not change the thickness swelling, while the water absorption was dependent on the foam components ratios. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 44722.     

柔性大开孔聚氨酯泡沫的制备

通过对原材料、配方、工艺的优化,制备了一种柔性大开孔聚氨酯泡沫,测试了泡沫的性能,并分析了原材料等因素对泡沫性能的影响。     

Properties of a novel inherently flame-retardant rigid polyurethane foam composite bearing imide and oxazolidinone

A novel inherently flame-retardant rigid polyurethane (PU) foam with imide and oxazolidinone was prepared by using 3,3′,4,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTDA) and 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-(10-glycidoxypropylene)-10-phosphap-henanthrene-10-oxide (e-DOPO) as reactive flame retardants. The physical and mechanical properties of the prepared PU foams were investigated. The compressive strength was improved to 0.22 MPa, the thermal conductivity decreased, and the density hardly changed. Thermogravimetric (TG) analysis and TG analysis coupled with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy indicated that the PTDA and e-DOPO showed a small improvement in thermal properties. The fire behaviors were evaluated based on the limited oxygen index (LOI), cone-calorimetry experiment, and smoke-density test. The LOI of the PU foam with PTDA and e-DOPO reached 22.4%. The peak of heat release rate and total heat release decreased to 227.50 kW m⁻² and 11.27 MJ m⁻² from 281.28 kW m⁻² and 14.05 MJ m⁻², respectively. The morphologies of the PU foam and residues after the cone-calorimetry test were characterized by scanning electron microscopy. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis indicated that PTDA and e-DOPO lead to an increase in graphite in the residue and the formation of a better barrier to prevent burning by the condensed-phase mechanism. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47943.     

A novel underwater acoustically transparent material: Fluorosilicone polyester polyurethane

A novel fluorosilicone polyester polyurethane (FSPU) was successfully synthesized with polycaprolactone diol, toluene diisocyanate, hydroxyl fluorosilicone oil (FSO), and a chain extender, 2,4-diamino-3,5-dimethyl thiotoluene (E-300). It was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, dynamic mechanical analysis, and scanning electron microscopy. The water resistance, mechanics, and acoustic properties of the material were tested with an optical contact angle measuring device, an electronic universal testing machine, and sound field measurement, respectively. The results show that the water resistance of FSPU gradually improved with increasing FSO. Compared to that of polyurethane (PU), the water contact angle of FSPU at 50 wt % FSO increased to 111.7°, and the water absorption reached a minimum of 0.8%. The glass-transition temperature of FSPU reached –44.1°C; this was lower than that of PU. Moreover, the insertion losses of this material at 600 and 1000 kHz were only 129.2 and 267.3 dB/m, respectively; these values were 20.5 and 13.6% lower, respectively, than that of PU. The results indicate that FSPU had an excellent water resistance and acoustic performance and a low glass-transition temperature and is an ideal material for underwater acoustically transparent materials. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47894.     

Toward mechanistic understanding the effect of aspect ratio of carbon nanotubes upon different properties of polyurethane/carbon nanotube nanocomposite foam

This study investigated the carbon nanotube's aspect ratio's influence on the nanocomposite foams' cellular structure and mechanical, acoustic absorption characteristics. The free-rising foaming process has been used for producing different flexible polyurethane (PU) foams embedded with other multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT's). Dynamic mechanical and thermal analysis, flow resistivity, and compressive mechanical measurements were achieved on the prepared samples. The acoustic absorption coefficient in a wide range of frequencies was estimated for the prepared PU/CNT foamed nanocomposite samples. Results indicated that by increasing the aspect ratio of MWCNT, the absorption coefficient's peak shifts toward the lower frequencies and improved sound absorption characteristics of PU foam in the low-frequency region. Moreover, the Young modulus of nanocomposite samples increases by increasing the aspect ratio of MWCNT's, whereas the stored strain energy or area under the stress–strain curve increases. Based on the obtained results, it is observed that the acoustic absorption coefficient of produced nanocomposite foams at the frequency of 800 Hz has been reported to have a 70% improvement in 2 cm samples and a 40% improvement in 3 cm samples compared to obtained results from pure PU foam.     

聚氨酯杂化复合泡沫体声学材料的研究

采用空心玻球、蛭石粉、粉末橡胶、有机蒙脱土和铅粉作为功能粒子,与聚氨酯杂化复合发泡,制得了聚氨酯杂化复合泡沫体声学材料。研究结果表明,加入20份上述不同功能粒子所制得的复合泡沫,它们之间的吸隔声性能差别不大,当厚度为25 mm时,在125~4000 Hz范围内的平均吸声系数在0.12~0.19之间,平均隔声量在12.0~13.9 dB之间,但它们的泡孔结构有较大的差别,其中,铅粉/PU复合体系的泡孔尺寸最粗,而有机蒙脱土/PU纳米复合体系的泡孔结构分布较均匀。所制得的几种复合泡沫都具有较高的拉伸强度,达到0.126 MPa以上,粉末橡胶/PU复合体系的泡沫拉伸强度达到0.406 MPa。