Abstrakt: |
The development of bio-based materials has attracted increasing attention from both academia and industry. In this study, polyurethanes (PUs) prepared from cashew biomass at different NCO:OH molar ratios (0.75, 1.00, and 1.50) were reinforced with coir fiber to produce bio-composites. The resulting bio-composites showed high gel content values (94–100%), indicating good matrix/reinforcement interaction. In addition, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) demonstrated that manufactured bio-composites showed flame retardancy property with LOI values > 28. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed no interphase separation. Also, dynamic mechanical analyses (DMA) of composites showed glass transitions values of 85 °C, 95 °C, and 121 °C when PUs were formulated using NCO:OH molar ratios at 0.75, 1.00, and 1.50, respectively. Furthermore, equibiaxial flexural strength results presented values ranging from 71.2 to 88 MPa. Thus, overall results have demonstrated the great potential of bio-composites prepared from cashew biomass-based polyurethanes reinforced with coir fiber which could be explored for high-performance applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |