MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF MONTMORILLONITE FILLED POLYURETHANE FOAMS

P.M. STEFANI; L. ESPÓSITO; L.B. MANFREDI; A. VAZQUEZ

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Congreso; COMAT2005, III International Conference on Science and Technology of Composite Materials; 2005

INTEMA

Rigid polyurethane (PU) foams are materials used by several industries (construction, automotive, nautical, etc,) with a great number of applications. PU foams are obtained from the reaction of di-isocyanate with polyol. This is an exothermic reaction, and the released heat can be used to form a cellular structure by evaporation of physical blowing agents. Polyurethanes are unique polymer materials with a wide range of physical and chemical properties. However, the polyurethanes also have some disadvantages, such as low thermal stability and low mechanical strength, etc. To overcome these disadvantages, a great deal of effort has been devoted to the development of nanostructured polyurethane /montmorillonite composites in recent years. However, there are very few studies in the literature regarding the use of nanoclay in the reactive PU foaming process. A better understanding is needed on effect of the clay dispersion on foaming processes and structure/property relationships. In this study, PU foams were prepared by in situ polymerization and batch foaming with non-modified montmorillonites. The effects of the of MMTs on the foaming process, mechanical properties, and structure of the foams were analyzed.