POLYURETHANES REINFORCED WITH CELLULOSE

MARÍA L. AUAD; MIRNA A. MOSIEWICKI; NORMA E. MARCOVICH

Nanocellulose/ Polymer Nanocomposites: From Fundamental to Applications

Scrivener Publishing LLC

Lugar: Salem; Año: 2014; p. 65 - 88

The use of nanoreinforcements has become a novel approach to enhance the properties of polyurethanes. Nanocellulose has proven to be an excellent choice as reinforcement at considerable low concentrations (~0.5 wt%) due to its much higher surface area and reduced number of defects at the nano level. Its incorporation offers a way to achieve the same property enhancements without many of the drawbacks witnessed from micro-reinforcements. Moreover, it possesses attractive attributes of low cost, low density, high stiffness, biodegradability and polar groups that can interact with the polyurethane matrix. During polyurethane synthesis, it is possible for the hydroxyl groups of cellulose to co-react or interact with the polyurethane, enhancing properties at the interface. These improved interactions leads to polyurethane composites with increased properties, such as elastic modulus and strength. This chapter summarizes the new trends in the use of nanocellulose as reinforcement of different types of polyurethane systems.