Abstract

The advancements in material science and technology have made polyurethane (PU) one of the most important renewable polymers. Enhancing the physio-chemical and mechanical properties of PU has become the theme of this and many other studies. One of these enhancements was carried out by adding starch to PU to form new renewable materials called polyurethane-starch composites (PUS). In this study, PUS composites are prepared by adding starch at 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 wt.% to a PU matrix. The mechanical, thermal, and morphological properties of PU and PUS composites were investigated. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images of PU and PUS fractured surfaces show cracks and agglomeration in PUS at 1.5 wt.% starch. The thermo-mechanical properties of the PUS composites were improved as starch content increased to 1.5 wt.% and declined by more starch loading. Despite this reduction, the mechanical properties were still better than that of neat PU. The mechanical strength increased as starch content increased to 1.5 wt.%. The tensile, flexural, and impact strengths of the PUS composites were found to be 9.62 MPa, 126.04 MPa, and 12.87 × 10−3 J/mm2, respectively, at 1.5 wt.% starch. Thermal studies showed that the thermal stability and crystallization temperature of the PUS composites increased compared to that of PU. The loss modulus curves showed that neat PU crystallizes at 124 °C and at 127 °C for PUS-0.5 wt.% and rises with increasing loading from 0.5 to 2 wt.%.

Highlights

  • Starch is a natural renewable polysaccharide polymer obtained from a great variety of crops and is a promising raw material for producing biodegradable products [1,2,3]

  • The neat PU sample was prepared by dropping a small mass of PU on a cleaned glass surface while the starch powder was spread over another glass surface

  • The results suggest that the neat PU has the best storage modulus ability which decreases as starch content increases from 0.5 to 2.0 wt.%

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Summary

Introduction

Starch (amylum) is a natural renewable polysaccharide polymer obtained from a great variety of crops and is a promising raw material for producing biodegradable products [1,2,3]. Materials 2017, 10, 777 is commonly found inhuman diets in foods such as potatoes, wheat, corn, and rice [4,5]. The availability and the low cost of starch made it a strong competitor to petroleum based thermoplastics in many applications [6,7]. Polyurethanes (PUs or PURs) are used as host polymers for many applications. PU is composed of organic units called urethane and appears in two types: thermoset and thermoplastic polymer [8,9]

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