A novel polyurethane prepolymer as toughening agent: Preparation,characterization, and its influence on mechanical and flame retardant properties of phenolic foam

A novel phosphorus‐ and silicon‐containing polyurethane prepolymer (PSPUP) was synthesized by the chemical reaction of phenyl dichlorophosphate with hydroxy‐terminated polydimethylsiloxane (HTPDMS) and subsequently with toluene‐2,4‐diisocyanate. The structure of PSPUP was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance. Afterward, a series of phenolic foams (PF) with different loadings of PSPUP toughening agent were prepared. The apparent density and scanning electron microscopy results showed that the addition of PSPUP can increase the apparent density of phenolic foam. The compressive, impact and friability test results showed that the incorporation of PSPUP into PF dramatically improved the compressive strength, impact strength, and reduced the pulverization ratio, indicating the excellent toughening effect of PSPUP. The limiting oxygen index of PSPUP modified phenolic foams remained a high value and the UL‐94 results showed all samples can pass V0 rating, indicating the modified foams still had good flame retardance. The thermal properties of the foams were investigated by thermogravimetric analysis under air atmosphere. Moreover, the thermal degradation behaviors of the PF and PSPUP/PF were investigated by real‐time Fourier transform infrared spectra. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Mechanical and thermal properties of phenolic/glass fiber foam modified with phosphorus‐containing polyurethane prepolymer

Phenolic foam exhibits outstanding flame, smoke and toxicity properties, good insulation properties and low production costs. However, the brittleness and pulverization of phenolic foam have severely limited its application in many fields. In this study, a novel phosphorus‐containing polyurethane prepolymer (DOPU) modifier was firstly synthesized, and then the foaming formula and processing of toughening phenolic foam modified with DOPU and glass fiber were explored. The structure and reactive behavior of prepolymer and phenolic resin were investigated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The effects of DOPU and glass fiber on the apparent density, compressive strength, bending strength and water absorption were investigated. The results suggested that the apparent density, compressive strength and bending strength of modified phenolic foam tended to increase irregularly with increasing content of DOPU. The addition of DOPU led to lower water absorption of glass fiber‐filled foam. Thermal stability and flame retardancy were examined using thermogravimetric analysis and limiting oxygen index (LOI) tests. It was found that foam with 3% DOPU and 0.5% glass fiber added exhibited good thermal stability and high char yields. The LOI value of modified phenolic foams decreased with increasing DOPU content, but it still remained at 41.0% even if the amount of modifier loaded was 10 wt%. © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

Phenolic foams,modified by nano-metallic oxides,improved in mechanical strengths and friability

Two kinds of nano-metallic oxides (nano-Al₂O₃ and nano-ZrO₂) were introduced separately into phenolic (PF) foams, and a series of PF foams modified with different loadings of the two nano-oxides were prepared. The test results of mechanical properties indicated that the flexural, compressive and impact strengths of the PF foams, modified by nano-Al₂O₃ at 5 phr loading, increased by 33, 46 and 51 % in the above order, and the strengths of the PF foams modified by nano-ZrO₂ at 5 phr loading increased by 31, 30 and 49 % in the same order, compared to the corresponding data of pure PF foam. The pulverization ratio of the modified PF foams decreased gradually with the increase in nano-oxides contents. The pulverization ratio of the PF foam modified by nano-oxides at 5 phr, decreased to 2.3 % for Al₂O₃ and that of ZrO₂ decreased to 2.2 %, which were quite lower than the pure PF foam value of 8 %. The combustion characteristics of the PF foams, modified by the nano-oxides, were evaluated by the limiting oxygen index (LOI), UL-94 and cone calorimetry tests. The LOI values of the foams modified by both nano-Al₂O₃ and nano-ZrO₂ decreased slightly with an increase in the loading of the nano-oxides, still all above 36 %. The UL 94 test results indicated that all foams could pass a V0 rating. The cone calorimeter results showed that the peak heat release rates of the modified foams were lower than 50 kW/m². Moreover, thermal stability of the foams modified by the nano-oxides was investigated.     

Phenolic foams toughened with crosslinked poly (n‐butyl acrylate)/silica core‐shell nanocomposite particles

A new type of crosslinked poly (n‐butyl acrylate) (PBA)/silica core‐shell nanocomposite particles was adopted as toughening agent to improve the mechanical properties of phenolic foams. The effects of the nanocomposite particles on the structures and properties of lightweight phenolic foams were investigated. SEM result showed that the addition of a small quantity of the nanocomposite particles can significantly enhance the structural homogeneity of phenolic foams. Thermalgravimetric analysis result suggested that the incorporation of the nanocomposite particles did not affect the thermal stability of the toughened phenolic foams. The flexural strength, compressive strength, and elastic modulus of the phenolic foams increased distinctively after the addition of the nanocomposite particles, the maximum values of which increased by 36.0%, 42.9%, and 32.3%, respectively. In this study, the optimum dosage of the nanocomposite particles is 0.03 phr in the modified phenolic foams. Moreover, the influence on the flammability of phenolic foams by toughening can almost be neglected. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42590.     

An intrinsic flame retardant epoxy resin with high transparency and strengthened mechanical property

In order to search for multifunctional epoxy thermosets (EP) with low flammability, high transparency and satisfied mechanical performance, DOPO-based phosphonate ammonium salt (DOA) was synthesized from 10-hydroxy-9,10-dihydro-9-oza-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide (DOPO-OH) and 2-amino-2-methyl-1,3-propanediol (AMPD). Under the influence of DOA, the flame-retardant and mechanical performances of the resulting EP were obviously improved. On account of the enhanced interaction and the incorporated flexible fragments in epoxy macromolecular chains, the tensile strength, elongation at break, and impact toughness of EP/5.0 wt% DOA significantly increased from 65.4 ± 1.2 MPa, 6.7 ± 0.6%, and 12.1 ± 1.3 kJ m⁻² of EP to 81.4 ± 2.8 MPa, 10.6 ± 0.5%, and 18.0 ± 1.1 kJ m⁻², respectively. In the presence of DOA, the limiting oxygen index (LOI) value of EP/5.0 wt% DOA increased to 35.5% and it passed the underwriter laboratories-94 vertical burning tests (UL-94 V) and got a V-1 rating. Moreover, the peak value of heat release rate (PHRR) was decreased by 38.0%. The analyses of char residues and volatile products showed that the activities of DOA on reducing the flammability of EP were ascribed to the protective effect of the char, the release of incombustible gases, and the radical-capture action of phosphorus-containing free radicals. Moreover, the modified epoxy thermosets still retained a high transparency.     

Hierarchical Cellular Poly(m-phenylene isophthalamide) with High Flame Retardancy,Mechanical Robustness,and Heat Resistance at Extreme Situation

High-performance cellular foams with superior mechanical properties and heat resistance are urgently needed to fulfill the applications in extreme environments. However, they are difficult to be prepared because of low gas diffusion rate in high-performance polymers. In this work, a facile solution-foaming strategy to prepare multifunctional foams based on poly(m-phenylene isophthalamide) (PMIA) is reported. The achieved PMIA foams show a hierarchically cellular structure containing macropores and mesopores. Due to their high porosity, the PMIA foams exhibit low thermal conductivity (0.0447–0.0498 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹) and high sound absorption coefficient at different frequency. A bimodal distribution on acoustic absorption is observed. With a bulk density range of 0.089–0.122 g cm⁻³, PMIA foams possess compressive moduli of 3.2–14.2 MPa and bending strength of 1.1–2.1 MPa, respectively. Moreover, they exhibit a recoverable deformation of 55.4% after 10 cycling 10% strain compressions and maintain a dimensional stability under harsh environment (–196 to 250 °C). Despite generated byproducts like polyurea, they still show a limiting oxygen index (25.2–26.3%) and relatively low heat release rate (178.3 kW m⁻²). This work provides a facile strategy to efficiently prepare high-performance PMIA foams for broad application prospects.     

Mechanical and thermal properties of modified red mud‐reinforced phenolic foams

A new type of composite based on phenolic foams reinforced with red mud microparticles was prepared using a thermal foaming method. Red mud was ground into ultrafine particles with grain diameters ranging from 1 to 1.5 μm. Silane coupling agent γ‐ureidopropyltriethoxysilane was used to modify the red mud microparticles to improve particle dispersion and adhesion between the particles and the phenolic matrix. The effects of the modified red mud microparticles on the mechanical and thermal properties of the composite were investigated at weight ratios ranging from 0 to 21%. The phenolic foams incorporating 15 wt% of the filler exhibited the best integrated performance. In comparison with native phenolic foams, tensile strength and impact strength were increased by 81.8 and 82.3%, respectively. Furthermore, the addition of modified red mud microparticles to the phenolic foam significantly decreased its thermal conductivity while increasing its limiting oxygen index. A morphological analysis using scanning electron microscopy indicated that incorporation of the modified red mud microparticles into the foam produced relatively small and uniformly sized cells within the material, which indicated that the observed improvements in mechanical and thermal properties were primarily due to the chemical adhesion between the particles and the matrix and good dispersion of particles in the matrix. The reinforced foams described in this study can be used in a variety of applications in the field of heat insulation. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry     

Carbonized foams from graphene/phenolic resin composite aerogels for superior electromagnetic wave absorbers

Ultralight graphene/phenolic resin composite aerogels (GPFs) were prepared through the chemical reduction and self-assembly of graphene oxide (GO) in water-soluble phenolic resin, followed by a freeze-drying process; carbonized foams (GPFs(T)) were obtained by the subsequent heat treatment of GPFs at a relatively low temperature (500–700 °C). Although GPFs do not show the qualified reflection loss value of below −10dB, GPFs(T) achieve the greatly enhanced electromagnetic-wave absorbing performance. Specifically, the minimum reflection loss value of GPF₁ (500) reaches −22.7 dB at 14.4 GHz with the absorber thickness of 2.0 mm and the effective absorption bandwidth is up to 5.4 GHz (12.4–17.8 GHz). The evolution of electromagnetic-wave absorbing properties from GPFs to GPFs(T) at different temperatures related with different graphene content is explored. GPFs(T) are expected to exhibit high thermal stability and excellent corrosion resistance property, and especially still maintain ultralight nature (e.g the density of GPF₁ (500) is only 24.3 mg/cm³). Most importantly, little graphene (as low as 7.5 wt% of GO addition for GPF₁(T)) in GPFs(T) guarantees the facile formation of three-dimension (3D) skeleton network and greatly cut downs the carbonization temperature of phenolic resin to achieve the required electromagnetic-wave energy losing ability. The present work provides an effective method to fabricate an ultralight material with exceptional performances including the good electromagnetic-wave absorbing property and the high stability.     

Influence of Surface Modified MWCNTs on the Mechanical, Electrical and Thermal Properties of Polyimide Nanocomposites

Polyamic acid, the precursor of polyimide, was used for the preparation of polyimide/multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) nanocomposite films by solvent casting technique. In order to enhance the chemical compatibility between polyimide matrix and MWCNTs, the latter was surface modified by incorporating acidic and amide groups by chemical treatment with nitric acid and octadecylamine (C₁₈H₃₉N), respectively. While the amide-MWCNT/polyimide composite shows higher mechanical properties at low loadings (<3 wt%), the acid-MWCNT/polyimide composites perform better at higher loadings (5 wt%). The tensile strength (TS) and the Young’s modulus (YM) values of the acid-MWCNT/polyimide composites at 5 wt% MWCNT loadings was 151 and 3360 MPa, respectively, an improvement of 54% in TS and 35% in YM over the neat polyimide film (TS = 98 MPa; YM = 2492 MPa). These MWCNT-reinforced composites show remarkable improvement in terms of thermal stability as compared to that for pure polyimide film. The electrical conductivity of 5 wt% acid modified MWCNTs/polyimide nanocomposites improved to 0.94 S cm ⁻¹ (6.67 × 10 ⁻¹⁸ S cm⁻¹ for pure polyimide) the maximum achieved so far for MWCNT-polyimide composites.     

Recycling of extracted titanium slag and gold tailings for preparation of self-glazed ceramic foams

Self-glazed ceramic foams were successfully synthesized via powder sintering method, using extracted titanium slag (ETS) and gold tailings (GT) as raw materials without adding any sintering aids and foaming agents. Influence of ETS addition and sintering temperature on crystal phase evolution, physical–mechanical properties, and micro-morphology of ceramic foams was systematically studied. Results indicated that products sintered at 1180 °C with 30 wt% ETS and 70 wt% GT showed the best performance, i.e., bulk density of 1.66 g cm^?3, flexural strength of 20.4 MPa, water absorption of 0.14%, open porosity of 0.23%, and glaze Vickers hardness of 6.5 GPa. Moreover, it was observed that there existed strong correlation between bulk density and bending strength. Self-glazed ceramic foams developed in this study are expected to be used as building envelope materials and provide new ideas for effective reuse of other similar solid wastes.     

Toughening of cyanate ester resin by N‐phenylmaleimide–N‐(p‐hydroxy)phenyl‐maleimide–styrene terpolymers and their hybrid modifiers

N‐Phenylmaleimide–N‐(p‐hydroxy)phenylmaleimide–styrene terpolymer (HPMS), carrying reactive p‐hydroxyphenyl groups, was prepared and used to improve the toughness of cyanate ester resins. Hybrid modifiers composed of N‐phenylmaleimide–styrene copolymer (PMS) and HPMS were also examined for further improvement in toughness. Balanced properties of the modified resins were obtained by using the hybrid modifiers. The morphology of the modified resins depends on HPMS structure, molecular weight and content, and hybrid modifier compositions. The most effective modification of the cyanate ester resin was attained because of the co‐continuous phase structure of the modified resin. Inclusion of the modifier composed of 10 wt% PMS (M_w 136 000 g mol^?1) and 2.5 wt% HPMS (hydroxyphenyl unit 3 mol%, M_w 15 500 g mol^?1) led to 135% increase in the fracture toughness (K_IC) for the modified resin with a slight loss of flexural strength and retention of flexural modulus and glass transition temperature, compared with the values for the unmodified resin. Furthermore, the effect of the curing conditions on the mechanical and thermal properties of the modified resins was examined. The toughening mechanism is discussed in terms of the morphological and dynamic viscoelastic behaviour of the modified cyanate ester resin system. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry     

Sustainability-guided life-cycle design and assessment for bio-based composite foams: Integrate flame retardancy/lightweight in usage and energy utilization after service

Sustainable development strategy has aroused a great interest in biomass resources as alternative raw materials. A kind of biomass-derived poly(butylene succinate) (PBS), has been developed as porous foams to reduce resource exhaustion and meet lightweight demands. For fire-safety in-service, graphene oxide (GO) was functionalized by 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide (DOPO) to combine flame-retardant elements and heat-barrier function. Hence, a very low loading level of P-containing GO as only 5 wt% could reduce peak heat release rate (pHRR) and total heat release (THR) of PBS-based foams by 58.5% and 22.3%, respectively. Meanwhile, N-/P-doped mesoporous char with a specific surface area of 136 m²/g, which derived from combustion of flame-retardant foaming PBS, contributes to a potential of energy storage applications in the capacitor or the anode of Li-ion battery with long-term stability. Overall, the sustainability of bio-based polyester could integrate lightweight of foaming, and be extended to utilization after use via facile combustion inspired by flame-retardancy design.     

Flammability properties and mechanical performance of epoxy modified phenolic foams

This work has been mainly focused on the development and optimization of the processing methodology to produce epoxy modified phenolic foams. This study analyzes the relation between the composition and the structure as well as the mechanical and flammability performance of epoxy‐phenolic (E‐P)‐based foams. Phenolic foams modified with different types and compositions of epoxy resin were successfully synthesized and characterized, showing uniform pore structure. Two epoxy resins were used for this approach. One is regular diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (Epon 826) type and the other is a brominated bisphenol A (DER 542), which has halogen groups in the structure to improve the flammability properties of the resulting foams. Cone calorimeter (ASTM E 1354) was used to measure the heat release rate, the time to ignition, and other flammability properties of the E‐P foams with different types of epoxy resins, under well‐controlled combustion conditions. The mechanical performance of the system was studied and compared with competing foams, such us phenolic, epoxy, and polyurethanes, in aspects of compression, friability, and shear performances. Compared with conventional phenolic foams, E‐P foams exhibit significant improvement in mechanical performance, lower friability and similar resistance to flame. These results demonstrate the potential of the E‐P foam as a flame resistant and high performance core material for sandwich structure. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 104: 1399–1407, 2007     

Improving the fracture toughness and the cyclic-fatigue resistance of epoxy-polymer blends

Relatively tough epoxy-blend polymers are now commercially available for use as adhesives and as the matrices for fibre composites. Nevertheless, another failure property which may be of equal, or even of greater, importance in some applications is the resistance of the epoxy polymer to cyclic-fatigue loading. However, the cyclic-fatigue behaviour of epoxy polymers has not been studied in great detail, especially for epoxy polymers where the material has been modified by forming a polymer blend in order to increase its toughness under quasi-static test rates or impact test rates. Therefore, a major aim of the present work has been to undertake a novel investigation of a range of rubber and thermoplastic materials to modify an epoxy polymer to study whether both a relatively high toughness and a significantly improved cyclic-fatigue behaviour can be simultaneously achieved in a given formulation. The unmodified epoxy-polymer possessed a value of the fracture energy, G_Ic, of 495 J/m² and a value for the threshold value of the maximum strain-energy release rate in a fatigue cycle, G_th, (below which no significant crack growth occurs) of 155 J/m². Several epoxy-polymer blends have been identified which do show major increases in these values and probably the best combination of such properties were for the epoxy-polymers modified with a poly(polypropylene-glycol)-based polyurethane (PU) modifier: either when used by itself or as a ‘hybrid’ polymer-blend in combination with core–shell rubber (CSii) particles, based upon a styrene-butadiene rubber core. For these PU-based epoxy polymers the values of G_Ic and G_th were found to increase to values of about 2475 J/m² and 445 J/m², respectively. The mechanisms of toughening that were induced by the addition of the polymer-blend modifier revealed that the presence of a multiphase in the epoxy-blend polymer was a critical requirement in achieving relatively high values of G_Ic and G_th. This was due to the second-phase particles initiating plastic deformation of the epoxy-matrix phase, which was the major source of energy dissipation and toughening. In turn, the extent of energy dissipated by the plastic deformation of the epoxy-matrix phase is clearly greatly influenced by the degree of ductility exhibited by this phase of the epoxy-blend polymer. Thus, another important feature of the degree of toughening observed is the effect that the modifier has upon the yield stress and plastic failure strain of the epoxy-matrix phase.     

Preparation,characterization, and physicomechanical properties of glass-ceramic foams based on alkali-activation and sintering of zeolite-poor rock and eggshell

This study reports the fabrication of novel glass-ceramic foams for thermal insulation to minimize the energy consumption in the buildings. Different combinations of zeolite-poor rock/eggshell powders (with eggshell content varying from 0 to 20 wt%) have been used to produce the foams through alkali-activation and reactive sintering techniques. The produced glass-ceramic foams were characterized based on their structural, thermal, and mechanical characteristics. The heat treatment process and the foaming patterns are examined by a heating microscope, and the findings reveal an excellent foamability of the utilized alkali-activated mixture in the range of 800–950 °C. The microstructure and the pore size of the acquired foams are investigated using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and computed tomography (CT) analysis. The crystallinity and phase composition of the prepared samples were investigated via X-ray diffraction (XRD). The experiment findings reveal that raising the eggshell content is favorable to gas production, but it affects the liquid phase creation resulting in inconsistent pore size distribution. The appropriate eggshell content is 4%, and the optimal heat treatment temperature is 900 °C. The produced ceramic foams possess a density ranging from 0.54 to 1 g/cm³, thermal conductivity around 0.07–0.4 W/mK, and compressive strength values between 1.2 and 6.7 MPa. The results indicate that the ceramic foams created could be a feasible choice for applications in constriction as thermal insulation materials.     

Tannin based foams modified to be semi-conductive: Synthesis and characterization

The objective of this study was to modify highly insulative and lightweight biorenewable foam thermosets to be semi-conductive for primarily building material applications. The foams were formed and then post-treated with in-situ polymerization of polyaniline, both doped and undoped, adsorbing and possibly absorbing (observed by SEM-EDX) to the foam structure at levels of 100–120 wt%.The modified tannin foams were shown to be semi-conductive in comparison to the highly insulative structure prior to polyaniline modification. While the 50% protonated polyaniline modified foams, or doped foams, had a higher conductivity than the undoped polyaniline modified foams, the acid used in fabrication of the foams provided some degree of conductivity to the undoped PANI modified foams. Moreover, the modified foams had an increased volume of 15% after modification, were more sensitive to moisture, and the polyaniline did not affect the degradation temperature of the foams.     

Preparation and properties of halogen-free flame retardant epoxy resins with phosphorus-containing siloxanes

Novel epoxy resin modifiers, DOPO–TMDS and DOPO–DMDP were synthesized by addition reaction of divinylsiloxane with 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide (DOPO). Halogen-free flame retardant epoxy resins were obtained through modification of o-cresol novolac epoxy resin cured by phenol novolac resin using DOPO–TMDS and DOPO–DMDP which were characterized by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, ³¹P NMR and FT-IR measurements. Effects of the phosphorus-containing siloxanes on thermal stabilities, mechanical properties and flame retardant properties of the epoxy resins were investigated. The cured epoxy resins exhibited better mechanical properties and greatly improved flame retardant properties due to the presence of phosphorus-containing siloxanes. The cured epoxy resins with phosphorus loading of 2.0 wt% showed LOI values of 32–33 and achieved UL94V-0 ratings.     

On the Use of Surfactant-Complexed Chitosan for Toughening 3D Printed Polymethacrylate Composites

This work reports a simple approach to prepare toughened 3D-printed polymethacrylate (PMA) composites using surfactant-modified chitosan (SMCS) particles at loadings between 2–10 wt%. Chitosan (CS) is modified with anionic surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulfate, via ionic complexation to facilitate compatibility and dispersion of CS to PMA matrix by non-covalent interactions between the components. The study successfully demonstrates high-accuracy 3D printing of composites with significant improvements in the overall mechanical properties. The composite with the best loading of 8 wt% SMCS shows a tensile modulus of 1.23 ± 0.05 GPa, a tensile strength at 49.8 ± 0.96 MPa, a yield stress at 33.3 ± 1.48 MPa, and a strain-at-failure 10.3 ± 0.61%, which are 45%, 40%, 32%, and 68% higher than neat PMA, respectively. This provides a significant improvement in toughness at 4.92 ± 0.55 MJ m⁻³ for the composite, 184% higher than that of neat PMA. The marked increase in toughness is due to enhanced filler-matrix interactions which improve the ability of the 3D printed composite to absorb energy under tensile load. The results from this work provide new understandings into the strategies for design and preparation of stereolithography 3D printed materials reinforced with toughening fillers from renewable resources.     

Toughening of poly(l-lactide) with poly(ε-caprolactone): Combined effects of matrix crystallization and impact modifier particle size

Enhancing matrix crystallization has been demonstrated to be an effective method to simultaneously improve the impact toughness and heat resistance of poly(l-lactide) (PLLA) modified with flexible polymers, such as poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL). Unfortunately, increasing PLLA matrix crystallinity alone cannot guarantee the enhancement of impact toughness in most cases, so other structural parameters should be considered. In this work, taking PLLA/PCL (80/20) blend as an example, the combined roles of matrix crystallization and impact modifier particle size in the toughening have been investigated. PLLA matrix crystallinity was controlled by adding a highly effective nucleating agent and PCL particle size was tailored by varying processing conditions while maintaining constant interfacial adhesion. It is interesting to find that toughening is efficient only if matrix crystallinity and particle size are well matched. With the significant increase of matrix crystallinity, an evident decrease of optimum particle size for toughening PLLA has been identified for the first time. Therefore, suitable particle size is the precondition for highly crystalline matrix to work effectively in the toughening because only small particles (0.3–0.5 μm) are effective in trigger shear yielding mechanism of the matrix needed for good toughness, whereas relatively large particles (0.7–1.1 μm) are only capable of toughening amorphous matrix effectively by initiating multiple crazing of the matrix. Importantly, our findings can be used to well explain the reason for the different roles of matrix crystallization in the toughening of different PLLA blends reported in the literature. Furthermore, the heat resistance of the blend with a highly crystalline matrix is much better than that of the blend with an amorphous one as expected. This work could not only provide a new insight into the synergistic roles of matrix crystallization and modifier particle size in the toughening of PLLA but also set up a universal framework for designing high-performance PLLA products with both good impact toughness and high heat resistance.     

Study of the effect of thermally reduced graphene oxide on the physical and mechanical properties of flexible polyurethane foams

Flexible polyurethane (PU) foams were obtained from a two‐component system via the one‐step method. The foams were modified with thermally reduced graphene oxide added in the amount equal to 0.25, 0.5, and 0.75 wt%. The morphology, static and dynamic properties, and thermal stability of modified foams were determined. The application of carbon filler resulted in the visible increase in the cell size, apparent density, and rigidity of the modified systems, as confirmed by the measurements of glass transition temperature. Glass transition temperature increased with increasing content of nanofiller. In addition, thermally reduced graphene oxide had an effect on the thermal stability of the obtained foam systems. The addition of 0.5 wt% of nanofiller resulted in an increase in T₅ by 16°C compared with the reference foam. This study also demonstrated that after exceeding a specific content of thermally reduced graphene oxide, that is, 0.5%, the physicochemical properties of the obtained systems start to deteriorate. The research results showed that thermally reduced graphene oxide can be successfully used as a modifier of mechanical and thermal properties in flexible PU foams. POLYM. COMPOS., 38:2248–2253, 2017. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers