Synthesis and Acoustic Study of a New Tung Oil-Based Polyurethane Composite Foam with the Addition of Miscanthus Lutarioriparius

Polymers (Basel). 2019 Jul 4;11(7):1144. doi: 10.3390/polym11071144.

Abstract

Polyurethane foam is commonly used in the automobile industry due to its favorable acoustic performances. In this study, a new tung oil-based polyurethane composite foam (TOPUF) was prepared by a one-step method. Different forms and contents of miscanthus lutarioriparius (ML) were used in TOPUF for improving acoustic performance. Polyurethane foams were characterized by means of Fourier transform infrared and SEM. The acoustic properties and mechanical properties of TOPUF, obtained with ML, were determined and compared with pure petroleum-based polyurethane foam. The results illustrate that the modification of TOPUF with the ML has a positive effect on the acoustic and mechanical properties in comparison to the unmodified foam. TOPUF obtained with ML powders has better acoustic performance than that obtained with ML strips. The optimum acoustic performance is achieved at the filler content of 0.3 wt%. The average sound absorption coefficient and transmission loss can reach 0.518, and 19.05 dB, respectively.

Keywords: Filler; acoustic performance; bio-based polyurethane foam; mechanical properties; miscanthus lutarioriparius.