Yeong Shoot Kian

Development of Flexible Polyurethane Nanostructured Biocomposite Foams Derived from Palm Olein-Based Polyol

This study examined the effect of organoclay montmorillonite (OMMT) on the mechanical properties and morphology of flexible polyurethane/OMMT nanocomposite (PU/OMMT) foams prepared from petroleum- and palm olein-based polyols. Palm-based PU foams exhibited inferior mechanical strength as compared to neat petroleum PU foams. However, addition of OMMT significantly improved the foams strength of flexible polyurethane/OMMT nanocomposite foams prepared from palm olein-based polyol (PU bionanocomposite foam). The morphology analysed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the cell size of the foam decreased with increasing OMMT content. PU bionanocomposite foam with 5 wt% of OMMT had the most improved tensile (63%) and tear (48%) strengths compared to its neat counterpart. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed the exfoliated structure of the respective foam. It was concluded that OMMT improved mechanical properties and morphology of PU foams.

Synthesis of new bio-based thermoset resin from palm oil

New bio-based thermosetting resin was synthesized from palm oil. In this study the epoxy groups presented on the epoxidized palm oil (EPO) were first acrylated and then further maleinized. The acrylation reaction was done by introducing acrylic acid into epoxy group of the epoxidized palm oil. Hydroquinone and triethylamine were used as inhibitor and catalyst, respectively. This reaction was confirmed by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). To render acid groups on the resulting monomer, the acrylated epoxidized palm oil (AEPO) was further reacted with maleic anhydride. The resulting maleinated acrylated epoxidized palm oil (MAEPO) was characterized by FTIR and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (1H NMR).

Structure–property performance of natural palm olein polyol in the viscoelastic polyurethane foam:

Structure–property behavior of the palm olein-based natural oil polyol (E-135 NOP) was investigated in viscoelastic “memory” foams. In a model viscoelastic foam formulation, the E-135 NOP with pendant hydroxyls was used as a drop-in replacement for the well-defined model polyether polyol with terminal hydroxyls, Poly-G® 76-120. Both polyols have comparable equivalent weight and concentrations of primary and secondary hydroxyls. The data showed that replacing Poly-G® 76-120 polyether polyol with the E-135 NOP did not significantly impact the foaming reactivity. Increasing the E-135 NOP concentration in the VE foams increased the average foam cell size while maintaining the open cell structure. Aging properties of the VE foams were mostly unaffected by the replacement of the Poly-G® 76-120 with the E-135 NOP. Furthermore, addition of E-135 had no impact on foam density; however, it increased the support factor of the viscoelastic foams. Differential scanning calorimetry, dynamic mechanical analyzer, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analyses indicate less defined morphological separation of hard and soft segments in the viscoelastic foams with higher concentration of E-135 NOP. Overall, the results demonstrated the feasibility that natural oil polyols can be used in viscoelastic polyurethane foams to replace a significant portion of the polyether polyols with comparable equivalent weights and concentrations of primary and secondary hydroxyls. In future, the feasibility study of E-135 NOP as a drop-in replacement of combination polyether polyols in viscoelastic foams formulation will be conducted. Furthermore, the effect of palm olein-based natural oil polyol in high resilience foam will be evaluated.