In this report, attempts have been made to study the influence of various factors like level of catalyst system and blowing agent, and functionality and viscosity of polyols, on the structures of various soy polyol-based polyurethane foams. Efforts are made to correlate the relative rigidity of various foams with the foaming reactions probed by infrared (IR) spectroscopy. IR observations have been complemented by thermal analysis and electron microscopic studies. Measurements on density and compressive strength have been conducted to verify the rigidity of different foam systems indicated by IR and thermal analysis.
In this brief report, the effects of reinforcing agents, glycerol and refined cellulose fiber, have been studied on the foaming reactions of polyurethane based on polyol derived from soy bean oil. The presence of glycerol and cellulose fiber has been observed to have a considerable influence on the density of the foams. Changes in density of different foams have been correlated with the chemical structures generated in the presence of the components, and analyzed by fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic study and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) observations are in line with the modifications induced by the reinforcing components.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.