Polyurethane Foams: Past, Present, and Future.

Publisher: MDPI Country of Publication: Switzerland NLM ID: 101555929 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Print ISSN: 1996-1944 (Print) Linking ISSN: 19961944 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Materials (Basel) Subsets: PubMed not MEDLINE

Publication: May 2010- : Basel, Switzerland : MDPI
Original Publication: Basel, Switzerland : Molecular Diversity Preservation International, 2008-2010.

Polymeric foams can be found virtually everywhere due to their advantageous properties compared with counterparts materials. Possibly the most important class of polymeric foams are polyurethane foams (PUFs), as their low density and thermal conductivity combined with their interesting mechanical properties make them excellent thermal and sound insulators, as well as structural and comfort materials. Despite the broad range of applications, the production of PUFs is still highly petroleum-dependent, so this industry must adapt to ever more strict regulations and rigorous consumers. In that sense, the well-established raw materials and process technologies can face a turning point in the near future, due to the need of using renewable raw materials and new process technologies, such as three-dimensional (3D) printing. In this work, the fundamental aspects of the production of PUFs are reviewed, the new challenges that the PUFs industry are expected to confront regarding process methodologies in the near future are outlined, and some alternatives are also presented. Then, the strategies for the improvement of PUFs sustainability, including recycling, and the enhancement of their properties are discussed.

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FCT UID /CTM /50011/2013 Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia; FCT UID /CTM /50011/2013 Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia

Keywords: enhancement of properties; new processing methodologies; polyurethane foams; sustainability

Date Created: 20180929 Latest Revision: 20231004

20240105

PMC6213201

10.3390/ma11101841

30262722