Tannin-furanic resin foam reinforced with cellulose nanofibers (CNF)

Abstract

In this study, tannin-furanic resin was directly mixed with different percentages of cellulose nanofibers (CNF) (0.1% and 0.2% based on the solid content of tannin resin) to obtain tannin-furanic resin reinforced foam. The microscopic investigation showed that the CNF were dispersed homogeneously in the tannin-furanic resin aqueous solution. The impact of CNF addition on the properties of the tannin foam, such as the foaming process, foam density, cell morphology, and mechanical properties as well as the thermal insulation and flammability were studied. The results disclosed that tiny amounts of CNF in the foam formulation could improve the compressive strength of tannin-furanic resin foam especially with 0.2 wt% loading of CNF. The reinforced foams showed smaller pore size and faster foaming without significantly affecting the thermal and flammability properties.