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Article
Effects of Surfactants on Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Soy-Based Polyurethane Foams
Journal of Cellular Plastics
  • Gurjot S. Dhaliwal
  • Sudharshan Anandan
  • Mousumi Bose
  • K. Chandrashekhara, Missouri University of Science and Technology
  • Paul Ki-souk Nam, Missouri University of Science and Technology
Abstract

Polyurethane foams are widely used for insulation applications due to their high insulation properties as compared to conventional materials such as extruded polystyrene foam and mineral wool. In this study, soy-based polyurethane foams were prepared using five different surfactants while keeping other components such as soy-based polyol, diisocyanate, catalyst, and blowing agent (water) constant. Prepared samples were tested for mechanical and thermal properties to evaluate the effect of different surfactants used in varying quantities. The morphology of the foam samples was observed using a scanning electron microscope. Seventeen fold reduction in the cell size was observed with an increase in the amount of surfactant from 0.5 to 5.0 g. Samples with higher amounts of surfactant also exhibited a higher number of closed cells. Better thermal insulation was observed for samples with 2.0 and 5.0 g of surfactant as compared to samples with 0.5 g of surfactant. A similar trend was observed in the mechanical strength, moisture absorbance, and density of the fabricated foam samples.

Department(s)
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Second Department
Chemistry
Research Center/Lab(s)
Center for Research in Energy and Environment (CREE)
Second Research Center/Lab
Center for High Performance Computing Research
Third Research Center/Lab
Intelligent Systems Center
Comments

Published online: 12 Mar 2020

Keywords and Phrases
  • Cell density,
  • environmentally friendly blowing agent,
  • polyurethane foams,
  • structural foams,
  • surface tension,
  • surfactant
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Citation
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2020 The Authors, All rights reserved.
Publication Date
11-1-2020
Publication Date
01 Nov 2020
Citation Information
Gurjot S. Dhaliwal, Sudharshan Anandan, Mousumi Bose, K. Chandrashekhara, et al.. "Effects of Surfactants on Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Soy-Based Polyurethane Foams" Journal of Cellular Plastics Vol. 56 Iss. 6 (2020) p. 611 - 629 ISSN: 0021-955X; 1530-7999
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/k-chandrashekhara/362/