Nanostructured rigid polyurethane foams with improved specific thermo-mechanical properties using Bacterial Nanocellulose as a Hard Segment

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that incorporating bacterial nanocellulose into rigid polyurethane foams significantly enhances their mechanical and thermo-mechanical properties, especially when using the ISO synthesis route, even at very low BNC concentrations.

Contribution

It introduces a novel method of reinforcing polyurethane foams with bacterial nanocellulose via the ISO route, leading to substantial property improvements.

Findings

244.2% increase in elastic compressive modulus

77.5% increase in strength

Reduced cell size by up to 39.7%

Abstract

Bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) was used to synthesize rigid polyurethane foams (RPUFs) based on its reaction with the isocyanate precursor (ISO route) and also by using the conventional procedure (POL route). The results indicated that at only 0.1 wt. % of BNC, drastic improvements of specific elastic compressive modulus (+244.2 %) and strength (+77.5 %) were found. The reaction of BNC with the precursor was corroborated through the measurement of isocyanate number and the BNC caused a significant nucleation effect, decreasing the cell size up to 39.7%. DSC analysis revealed that the BNC had a strong effect on post-cure enthalpy, decreasing its value when the ISO route was implemented. DMA analysis revealed that the RPUFs developed using the ISO route proved to have an improved damping factor, regardless of BNC concentration. These results emphasize the importance of using the ISO route to achieve foamed nanocomposites with improved specific mechanical properties.