Polyurethane Foams Reinforced with Biobased Materials: Properties and Applications

Abstract

Today, polyurethane foams can be found in various commercial products such as bedding, home furniture, automotive interiors and even construction materials. From a chemical point of view, polyurethane foams are made from a chemical reaction between a polyol (molecules with more than one hydroxyl group) and a diisocyanate in the presence of a blowing agent.Because of their highly stable bonds, polyurethane foams are considered as nondegradable leading to some environmental impact. To address this concern different bio-based fillers have been used to create "greener" polyurethane materials. This review presents an overview of different bio-based fillers and containing natural polyols for polyurethane foams formulation with respect to their natural properties, sizes, geometries and contents.A wide range of bio-based fillers derived from wood and non-wood sources are summarized based on their physico-mechanical properties. Then, possible applications are presented and future trends are discussed for the research and development of these complex (multiphase systems) materials (polymer composite foams).Beside traditional polyurethane foams applications including automotive, building, home furniture and package, bio-based filler addition could bring new feature and widen their applications such as shape memory and medication, as well as oil absorbent.