Abstract:
A series of polyurethane foams (PUF) based on poly(4-hydroxybutyrate) (P4HB) were synthesized via the prepolymer method under solvent-free conditions, using P4HB as the soft segment, diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) and 1,4-butanediol (BDO) as the hard segments, and water as the blowing agent. The effects of catalyst and its dosage, surfactant amount, the ratio of
n(―NCO)/
n(―OH), hydroxyl value (OHV) of P4HB, NCO content of the prepolymer (
w(―NCO)), and blowing agent dosage on the foaming process and PUF properties were systematically investigated. The obtained foams were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), uniaxial tensile tests, and vertical rebound measurements to evaluate their thermal, mechanical, and resilience properties. The optimal formulation was identified as the ratio of
n(―NCO)/
n(―OH) = 1.1, OHV of 56 mg KOH/g,
w(―NCO) content of 6%, and blowing agent mass fraction of 0.36%. The obtained PUF exhibited a tensile strength up to 2.6 MPa, a tear strength of 13.9 kN/m, and a rebound rate of 33%, which were comparable to those of commercial MDI-based PUF shoe midsoles from Huafon Group Co. Ltd.