Development of an Innovative Lightweight Composite Material with Thermal Insulation Properties Based on Cardoon and Polyurethane

Polymers (Basel). 2023 Dec 31;16(1):137. doi: 10.3390/polym16010137.

Abstract

The search for innovative and sustainable solutions to improve the energy efficiency of the construction industry has been a hot topic for researchers due to the tremendous impact of insulator materials in the thermal comfort of buildings. In the present work, an innovative lightweight composite material with thermal insulation properties was developed, for the first time, by using cardoon particles and polyurethane. The formulation of the composite material was optimized in terms of cardoon fraction and the polyol/isocyanate ratio, to achieve the best compromise between internal bond (IB) strength and thickness swelling (TS). The best performing composite was PU75-CP45, with 45 wt% of cardoon particles and 75% of isocyanate, achieving an IB of 0.41 MPa and a TS of 5.3%. Regarding insulation properties, the PU75-CP45 composite material exhibits a promising performance when compared to conventional construction industry materials by tuning its thickness. Additionally, the composite material presented very low emissions of volatile organic compounds and formaldehyde (bellow to legislation levels) and high resistance to biological degradation.

Keywords: cardoon; composite; construction; insulation; polyurethane; sustainable.

Grants and funding

This work was financially supported by LA/P/0045/2020 (ALiCE), UIDB/00511/2020 and UIDP/00511/2020 (LEPABE), funded by national funds through FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC) and Project ADAPTIVE–Projects in co-promotion ref. POCI-01-0247-FEDER-050191) in the scope of Portugal 2020 co-funded by FEDER (Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional) under the framework of POCI (Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização).