Synthesis and Morphology of Flexible Polyurethane Foams Containing Neem Oil and Clove Powder

Polyurethane foams are a versatile class of polymeric materials whose physico-chemical structure and properties can be modified by incorporating additives. This study examined the effect of naturally occurring insect-repelling additives such as neem oil (NO) and clove powder (CP) on the formulation...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Charles Kuranchie, Abu Yaya, Fred Aboagye-Antwi, Yaw Delali Bensah
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2024-01-01
Series:International Journal of Polymer Science
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2024/5047916
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850211117919371264
author Charles Kuranchie
Abu Yaya
Fred Aboagye-Antwi
Yaw Delali Bensah
author_facet Charles Kuranchie
Abu Yaya
Fred Aboagye-Antwi
Yaw Delali Bensah
author_sort Charles Kuranchie
collection DOAJ
description Polyurethane foams are a versatile class of polymeric materials whose physico-chemical structure and properties can be modified by incorporating additives. This study examined the effect of naturally occurring insect-repelling additives such as neem oil (NO) and clove powder (CP) on the formulation and morphology of flexible polyurethane foam (FPUF) composites. The foams were prepared by the prepolymer method using a box test as applied in the foam industry. The composite material was formulated by varying the isocyanate index (103 and 108) as an excess amount of isocyanate was required to react with the additives. The formulation at 103 was unsuccessful as the foams collapsed immediately after rising. However, at 108, two main categories of foams were successfully prepared: foams containing either NO or CP and the other containing both additives. The effect of these additives on the formulation was examined by monitoring the foam reaction using the cream, tack-free, and rising times. It was observed that the cream, tack-free, and rising times increased with increasing NO/CP content. Conversely, the morphology was studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and optical microscope (OP). The SEM images revealed disruption of the foam network with 1 wt% NO, likewise those containing 1 wt% CP. The cellular network of the foams with simultaneous addition of NO and CP was similar to that of the neat foams and had no broken cell joints and struts due to better dispersion of the additives in the polyurethane matrix. The study indicates that the combined addition of NO and CP modifies the morphology of FPUF, which can influence their physico-mechanical properties.
format Article
id doaj-art-8969c7a3120b405bbbc8d120ba42b91c
institution OA Journals
issn 1687-9430
language English
publishDate 2024-01-01
publisher Wiley
record_format Article
series International Journal of Polymer Science
spelling doaj-art-8969c7a3120b405bbbc8d120ba42b91c2025-08-20T02:09:37ZengWileyInternational Journal of Polymer Science1687-94302024-01-01202410.1155/2024/5047916Synthesis and Morphology of Flexible Polyurethane Foams Containing Neem Oil and Clove PowderCharles Kuranchie0Abu Yaya1Fred Aboagye-Antwi2Yaw Delali Bensah3Department of Materials Science and EngineeringDepartment of Materials Science and EngineeringDepartment of Animal Science and Conservation ScienceDepartment of Materials Science and EngineeringPolyurethane foams are a versatile class of polymeric materials whose physico-chemical structure and properties can be modified by incorporating additives. This study examined the effect of naturally occurring insect-repelling additives such as neem oil (NO) and clove powder (CP) on the formulation and morphology of flexible polyurethane foam (FPUF) composites. The foams were prepared by the prepolymer method using a box test as applied in the foam industry. The composite material was formulated by varying the isocyanate index (103 and 108) as an excess amount of isocyanate was required to react with the additives. The formulation at 103 was unsuccessful as the foams collapsed immediately after rising. However, at 108, two main categories of foams were successfully prepared: foams containing either NO or CP and the other containing both additives. The effect of these additives on the formulation was examined by monitoring the foam reaction using the cream, tack-free, and rising times. It was observed that the cream, tack-free, and rising times increased with increasing NO/CP content. Conversely, the morphology was studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and optical microscope (OP). The SEM images revealed disruption of the foam network with 1 wt% NO, likewise those containing 1 wt% CP. The cellular network of the foams with simultaneous addition of NO and CP was similar to that of the neat foams and had no broken cell joints and struts due to better dispersion of the additives in the polyurethane matrix. The study indicates that the combined addition of NO and CP modifies the morphology of FPUF, which can influence their physico-mechanical properties.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2024/5047916
spellingShingle Charles Kuranchie
Abu Yaya
Fred Aboagye-Antwi
Yaw Delali Bensah
Synthesis and Morphology of Flexible Polyurethane Foams Containing Neem Oil and Clove Powder
International Journal of Polymer Science
title Synthesis and Morphology of Flexible Polyurethane Foams Containing Neem Oil and Clove Powder
title_full Synthesis and Morphology of Flexible Polyurethane Foams Containing Neem Oil and Clove Powder
title_fullStr Synthesis and Morphology of Flexible Polyurethane Foams Containing Neem Oil and Clove Powder
title_full_unstemmed Synthesis and Morphology of Flexible Polyurethane Foams Containing Neem Oil and Clove Powder
title_short Synthesis and Morphology of Flexible Polyurethane Foams Containing Neem Oil and Clove Powder
title_sort synthesis and morphology of flexible polyurethane foams containing neem oil and clove powder
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2024/5047916
work_keys_str_mv AT charleskuranchie synthesisandmorphologyofflexiblepolyurethanefoamscontainingneemoilandclovepowder
AT abuyaya synthesisandmorphologyofflexiblepolyurethanefoamscontainingneemoilandclovepowder
AT fredaboagyeantwi synthesisandmorphologyofflexiblepolyurethanefoamscontainingneemoilandclovepowder
AT yawdelalibensah synthesisandmorphologyofflexiblepolyurethanefoamscontainingneemoilandclovepowder