Fire-retarding polyurethane (PU) composite was produced by adding 2,4-ditert-butylphenyl phosphite (FR) to palm-based monoester resin with loading percentage of 0, 2, 4, and 6 wt%. The Shore D hardness index increased marginally with increasing FR content. However, the impact and flexural strengths decreased with increasing FR loading attributed to the weak interfacial bonding between FR and PU matrix. The fire test indicated lowering of burning rate (from 5.30 mm.s-1 to 2.80 mm.s-1) as the loading percentage of FR increased. The combustion enthalpy of the composites also decreased with higher loading percentage of FR.
Sifat terma dan pembakaran busa poliuretana minyak isirung sawit dan minyak soya dibandingkan. Monoester berkumpulan hujung hidroksil dihasilkan melalui tindak balas minyak isirung sawit (PKO) dan minyak kacang soya (SBO) dengan sebatian polihidrik yang mengandungi dietanolamina/etilena glikol dan mangkin kalium asetat. Tindak balas esterifikasi dan kondensasi ini dijalankan dengan nisbah minyak sayuran kepada sebatian polihidrik adalah 80:20. Monoester ini kemudiannya ditindakbalaskan dengan 2,4-difenilmetana diisosianat untuk menghasilkan poliuretana melalui tindak balas pempolimeran penambahan. Sifat termanya dibandingkan melalui analisis kalorimetri imbasan kebezaan (DSC), analisis termogravimetri (TGA), bom kalorimetri, ujian kestabilan dimensi dan ujian kerintangan api. Busa poliuretana SBO mempunyai nilai entalpi yang rendah daripada busa poliuretana PKO iaitu 7151 kal.g-1 berbanding 7223 kal.g-1 manakala analisis TGA menunjukkan peratus kehilangan jisim busa poliuretana SBO yang rendah (91.0%) berbanding busa poliuretana PKO (92.3%) dengan suhu kestabilan Tstabil adalah masing-masing 196°C dan 198°C. Kadar kebakaran busa poliuretana SBO ialah 0.6-1.2 mm.s-1, rendah daripada kadar kebakaran busa poliuretana PKO iaitu 1.1-1.6 mm.s-1. Menerusi ujian kestabilan dimensi, didapati nilai pengecutan dan pengembangan busa poliuretana SBO adalah kurang daripada busa poliuretana PKO.
Lignocellulose from oil palm empty fruit bunch fiber (EFB) has been identified as another source for conversion into renewable energy or value added products. Cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin were extracted from EFB via a new treatment method using aqueous glycerol as a potential delignification agent. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of treatment time and EFB to solvent ratio on the analytical compositions of EFB with or without further treatment with aqueous glycerol. The cooking time was varied at 3, 5 and 7 h with temperature fixed at 85°C. Three types of EFB were used; untreated fiber (UT-EFB), pretreated fiber with 5% (w/v) sodium hydroxide solution (N-EFB) and pretreated fiber with 5% (w/v) acetic acid solution (A-EFB). The analyses carried out were determination of extractives content, Klason Lignin, α-cellulose, hemicelluloses, holocellulose and ash content based on dry weight of the EFB. An increase in the glycerolysis time resulted in reduced content of Klason lignin and extractives but high percentages of holocellulose and α-cellulose for all EFB samples. Treatment of EFB with alkaline solution prior to glycerolysis resulted in reduction in cellulose content compared with holocellulose.
In-situ polymerization method was used to prepare palm-based polyurethane (PU) composites loading with 15 wt% magnetite (Fe3O4), polyaniline (PANI) and Fe3O4 coated with PANI labeled as PU15, PP and PPM, respectively. FTIR spectroscopy analysis indicated a shift in the carbonyl, C=O and NH in PP. The shift of the peak indicated that there was hydrogen bonding between the C=O (proton acceptor) of urethane with NH (proton-donator) of PANI. PPM gave the highest impact and flexural strengths at 4875 kJ/ m2 and 42 MPa, respectively but with the lowest flexural modulus (1050 MPa). Two-stage degradation behavior was observed in the TGA thermogram.
UV-curable hyperbranched urethane acrylate (HBPUA) from oleic acid of palm oil has been synthesized through a medium aided by p-toluene sulfonic acid as a catalyst. This mixture was then used as the core (HBP) and reacted with palm oil oleic acid to form the hyperbranched polyol (HBP-1). HBPUA was prepared by reacting HBP-1 resin with diisocyanate and hydroxyl-containing acrylate monomer with the presence of 0.1-2 wt% dibutyltin dilaurate as a catalyst. The reaction was confirmed by several analytical data i.e. hydroxyl value (OHV), Fourier Transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy analyses. The HBPUA was easily curable when subjected to ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
Radiation pre-vulcanised natural rubber latex (RVNRL) prepared by using gamma irradiation technique has many advantages over the conventionally prepared sulphur pre-vulcanised natural rubber latex (SPVL). Despite the fact that many potential latex dipped products can be made from RVNRL, little effort was made to fully commercialise the products because of the inferior strength of RVNRL products compared to SPVL products. An attempt was made to improve the tensile strength of RVNRL by combining both radiation and peroxide vulcanisation in order to ensure that the products will not tear or fail, and has sufficient stretch. Hexanediol diacrylate (HDDA) plays the main role as sensitizer during radiation vulcanisation and tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BHPO) as the co-sensitizer in peroxide vulcanisation. Pre-vulcanised natural rubber latex dipped films via hybrid radiation and peroxidation vulcanisations obtained showed tensile strength of 26.7 MPa, an increment of more than 15% compared to controlled film (22.5 MPa). Besides, the crosslink percentage of the rubber films also showed around 5% increment from 90.7% to 95.6%.
The effect of adding aluminum hydroxide (ATH) in the palm-based polyurethane hybrid composite was studied. The compression stress and modulus, thermal conductivity and acoustic property were determined. The hybrid composite was prepared by adding 10 wt% of oil palm empty fruit bunch fibre (EFB) followed by ATH at varying amount of 2, 4 and 6 wt% of the overall mass of the resin. The compression stress and modulus gave the highest values of 575 kPa and 2301 kPa, respectively at 2 wt% ATH. At 4 wt% ATH, the compression stress and modulus decreased to 431 kPa and 1659 kPa, respectively and further decreased at 6 wt% ATH to 339 kPa and 1468 kPa respectively. The k-value increased with the increment of the ATH loading exhibited a poor thermal conductivity. Sound absorption analysis indicated that the absorption coefficient was higher at higher frequency (4000 Hz) for all samples with PU-EFB/ATH with 4% ATH showed the highest absorption coefficient.
Effects of aluminium hydroxide (ATH) addition on the properties of palm-based polyurethane composites were investigated. The hybrid composites were prepared by mixing 10 wt% of oil palm empty fruit bunch fiber (EFB) with ATH at varying amount of 2, 4 and 6 wt% of the overall mass of the resin. The compression stress and modulus gave the highest values of 575 and 2301 kPa, respectively at 2 wt% loading of ATH. The compression stress and modulus decreased drastically at 4 wt% (431 kPa and 1659 kPa, respectively) and further decreased at 6 wt% ATH (339 and 1468 kPa, respectively). However, the burning rate is inversely proportional to the loading percentage where the highest burning rate was observed at 2 wt% ATH. Sound absorption analysis indicated a large absorption coefficient at high frequency (4000 Hz) for all samples. The highest absorption coefficient was obtained from PU-EFB/ATH with 4 wt% ATH.
UV curable coating formulation comprises urethane acrylate resin and nanosilica as filler were synthesized to develop UV curable inorganic organic hybrid composite (PUA). The surface of the nanosilica was chemically modified to improve its chemical interaction within the urethane acrylate matrix. The modification had been undertaken by applying vinyltrymetoxysilane (VTMOS) that acted as a coupling agent to produce organophilic silica shell (SIMA). The shell is linked to the silica via reaction with the surface silanol group of the silica. The disappearance of metoxy groups in VTMOS was demonstrated by FTIR spectrum. The percentage of silica particles in UV curable hybrid formulation were varied on 5%, 10%, 15%, 20% and 250% respectively. In this work, the formulation was applied on medium density fiber board (11/IDF) substrate and subsequent has been irradiated under UV light. Then, the coated MDF were characterized by several testing equipments (TGA, DSC, scratch tester, instron, SEM). From the result, we found that the addition of silica nanoparticles exhibit significant improvement in coating film properties as compared to film without silica nanoparticle includes significant improvement in its modulus and scratch resistance. This make them as promising coating candidate for MDF product. On the other hand, we also found that an increase of silica particle up to 25 wt%, the viscosity has increased rapidly indicates that it is not suitable for acrylate coating formulation due to disappearance of desired effect known as tixotrophy.
Peroxide pre-vulcanized natural rubber latex prepared by using gamma irradiation technique is an alternative over the conventionally prepared peroxide pre-vulcanized that used activator to promote the peroxide decomposition in natural rubber latex. Through this technique the problems aroused by some activators such as tends to darken the natural rubber latex film during the drying process can also be overcome. For this preliminary study, data obtained from crosslink density and mechanical measurements were used to evaluate the effectiveness of gamma irradiation in the vulcanization process. Increasing the quantity of tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BHPO) from 0.1 pphr to 0.3 pphr while the irradiation dose maintain at 12 kGy has successfully delivered peroxide vulcanized natural rubber latex films with average tensile strength, modulus @ 500% and modulus @ 700% around 15.33, 1.01 and 3.42 MPa, respectively. The effective pre-vulcanization irradiation dose with respect to maximum crosslinking density (85.8 %) was observed on film prepared at 0.1 pphr t-BHPO.