Functional Hollow Ceramic Microsphere/Flexible Polyurethane Foam Composites with a Cell Structure: Mechanical Property and Sound Absorptivity

Jia-Horng Lin; Po-Yang Hsu; Chen-Hung Huang; Mei-Feng Lai; Bing-Chiuan Shiu; Ching-Wen Lou

doi:10.3390/polym14050913

Functional Hollow Ceramic Microsphere/Flexible Polyurethane Foam Composites with a Cell Structure: Mechanical Property and Sound Absorptivity

Polymers (Basel). 2022 Feb 25;14(5):913. doi: 10.3390/polym14050913.

Authors

Jia-Horng Lin^{1

2

3

4}, Po-Yang Hsu², Chen-Hung Huang⁵, Mei-Feng Lai², Bing-Chiuan Shiu¹, Ching-Wen Lou^{2

4

6

7}

Affiliations

¹ College of Material and Chemical Engineering, Minjiang University, Fuzhou 350108, China.
² Laboratory of Fiber Application and Manufacturing, Department of Fiber and Composite Materials, Feng Chia University, Taichung 40724, Taiwan.
³ School of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan.
⁴ Advanced Medical Care and Protection Technology Research Center, College of Textile and Clothing, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China.
⁵ Department of Aerospace and Systems Engineering, Feng Chia University, Taichung 40724, Taiwan.
⁶ Department of Medical Research, China Medical University Hospital, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan.
⁷ Fujian Key Laboratory of Novel Functional Fibers and Materials, Minjiang University, Fuzhou 350108, China.

Abstract

Noise pollution is the primary environmental issue that is increasingly deteriorated with the progress of modern industry and transportation; hence, the purpose of this study is to create flexible PU foam with mechanical properties and sound absorption. In this study, hollow ceramic microsphere (HCM) is used as the filler of polyurethane (PU) foam for mechanical reinforcement. The sound absorption efficacy of PU pores and the hollow attribute of HCM contribute to a synergistic sound absorption effect. HCM-filled PU foam is evaluated in terms of surface characteristic, mechanical properties, and sound absorption as related to the HCM content, determining the optimal functional flexible PU foam. The test results indicate that the presence of HCM strengthens the stability of the cell structure significantly. In addition, the synergistic effect can be proven by a 2.24 times greater mechanical strength and better sound absorption. Specifically, with more HCM, the flexible PU foam exhibits significantly improved sound absorption in high frequencies, suggesting that this study successfully generates functional PU foam with high mechanical properties and high sound absorption.

Keywords: composites; flexible polyurethane foam (FPUF); functionality; hollow ceramic microsphere (HCM); sound absorptivity.