A Review of Research on the Effect of Temperature on the Properties of Polyurethane Foams

Polymers (Basel). 2022 Oct 28;14(21):4586. doi: 10.3390/polym14214586.

Abstract

Temperature is one of the main factors affecting the properties of polyurethane foams, and there are large differences in the mechanical properties of polyurethane foams at different temperatures. To understand the effect of temperature on the mechanical properties of polyurethane foams and to provide a theoretical basis for the application of polyurethane foams in extreme environments, this paper systematically describes the research on the effect of mold temperature, raw material temperature, and environmental temperature on the microstructure and mechanical properties of polyurethane foams in the formation and service stages of rigid polyurethane foams by domestic and foreign scholars, and summarizes the effect of temperature on the mechanical properties of polyurethane foams and the mechanism of action. A review of the literature shows that the effect of different temperatures on the mechanical properties of polyurethane foams can be summarized. The literature review shows that there are certain changes in the foaming process, pore structure, and mechanical properties of polyurethane foams at different temperatures, and the increase in temperature generally leads to the increase in pore size, decrease in density, and decrease in mechanical properties of polyurethane foams.

Keywords: mechanical properties; polymer; rigid polyurethane foams; temperature.

Publication types

  • Review

Grants and funding

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (52179145); Scientific and Technological Research Project in Henan Province (222300420081); Program for Science and Technology Innovation Talents in Universities of Henan Province, China (21HASTIT013); Special Funds for Basic Scientific Research of the Yellow River Institute of Hydraulic Research (HKY-JBYW-2022-08)and Supported by Open Research Fund Program of State key Laboratory of Hydroscience and Engineering (sklhse-2022-C-01).