Abstract

The preparation of conventional phenolic foams (PF) relies on non-renewable petroleum resources. Overuse leads to environmental pollution and resource depletion. In this study poplar, wood fiber (WF) reinforced PF were prepared based on tannic acid (TA), furfural (FU), furfuryl alcohol (FA) and vanillin (VA). So, two series of samples were produced: TA - FA - FU (TFU series) and TA - FA - VA (TVA series) biobased foams. While their properties were improved by adding WF. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) revealed covalent crosslinking reactions between the components and hydrogen bonding between WF and the matrix. Viscosity measurements showed that higher values, the higher apparent densities and compressive strengths of the materials, while porosity and pulverization ratios were lower. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed a homogeneous cell structure and small open cells, while two-dimensional (2D) images from computerized tomography (CT) showed small cell anisotropy and good binding between WF and the matrix. The TFU series foams exhibited excellent mechanical properties, with compression strengths up to 2.4 MPa and a minimum pulverization ratio of 1.3 %. In addition, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), thermal conductivity, vertical combustion test and cone calorimeter test were conducted to evaluate the samples' thermal stability, thermal conductivity, and flammability. The TGA results showed that the material has good thermal stability and high residual carbon (37.1 % - 41.5 %). The cone calorimetry results confirmed a low heat release rate with a lowest peak heat release rate (pHRR) of 26.3 kW/m2. At the same time, the vertical combustion tests showed that the materials were selfextinguishing and had excellent flame retardancy. For the TVA series, excellent thermal insulation was observed with a minimum thermal conductivity of 0.032 W/m & sdot;K. The addition of WF was found to reduce the foam's pulverization ratio, increase the specific compression strength, lower the heat release rate and increase the amount of residual carbon. All these results confirm that these new sustainable foams and composite foams have a high potential to replace conventional PF for construction, transportation, packaging, and insulation.

  • Kapsamı

    Uluslararası

  • Type

    Hakemli

  • Index info

    WOS.SCI

  • Language

    English

  • Article Type

    None

  • Keywords

    Foam Tannic acid Furfural Vanillin Poplar fiber Thermal stability