Water-blown Polyurethane/Clay Nanocomposite Foams from Castor Oil Derivative

The present work deals with the development of fully water-blown polyurethane foams containing montmorillonite clay as filler which are layered silicate nanoparticles. The liquid monomers consisted of a mixture of polyols, namely diethanolamide of castor oil and polypropylene glycol, polymeric MDI, surfactant, water and catalyst. The foam formation is assisted by blowing effect of CO, which is evolved during the chemical reaction of isocyanate with water. The presence of layered silicate in different amounts, significantly affects structure development, which is reflected in the densities, mechanical properties, scanning electron and optical microscopic examinations. The effective use of castor oil derivative for preparation of polyurethane foam-clay nanocomposite has been explored in this paper.