STUDIES ON THE EFFECT OF ADDITION OF IRON DUST/ IRON NANOPARTICLES ON THE PROPERTIES OF CASTOR OIL BASED RIGID POLYURETHANE FOAM

Abstract

Polyurethane foams constitute an important class of materials and are used in a wide range of applications, both commercial and daily life such as furniture, carpets and mats, packaging, thermal insulation, etc. owing to their unique properties. Traditionally, polyurethane foams were synthesized by the reaction between isocyanates and polyols derived from petroleum resources. However, due to the non-renewable nature of these fossil resources, the focus has now shifted on the use of bio-based materials with polyols being derived from natural and renewable resources such as vegetable oil (possessing good functionality) offering excellent alternative and great potential for use in industrial applications. The present study focuses on the use of castor oil to produce polyurethane foams because apart from being low cost oil, it has a high degree of unsaturation and low –OH functionality. Iron dust was incorporated as the filler in the foam. The prepared PU foams were characterized using techniques such as SEM, FTIR, XRD, TGA and DSC. In addition, the mechanical properties such as flexural and compressive strength of the iron dust reinforced RPUF were also studied. It was observed that with an increase in the content of iron dust in the foam, the foam’s capability to withstand compressive force and flexural strength also increased. This is attributed to the fact that the iron dust fills the void space within the foam and hence helps it to withstand external breaking force.