Effect of polyethylene terephthalate fiber reinforced with non‐hydrophilic nano‐silica on the mechanical, thermic, and chemical shielding characteristics of saturated polyurethane composite

Abstract

The research investigates the reinforcing effect of scrap polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fiber, non‐hydrophilic nano‐SiO2(NS‐972) and heat suppressing agents in saturated polyurethane (SPU) composites. PET fiber was obtained through industrial mechanical processing from scraped PET. Thermic and surface morphology of synthesized SPU composites was characterized by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Thermic characteristics of filled PU,NS‐PET fiber (1.5%)‐APM (1:1) (PU‐NF1.5A) composite with (1:1) proportion of additive NS‐PET fiber (0.5–2%) and halogen free fire‐extinguishing additives APM (0–3%) were determined utilizing UL‐94, TGA, critical oxygen index, and smoke density. The tensile properties of the composite improved to 42.27% (4.14 MPa) when the filler content was increased to 1.5%. The WCA, moisture permeability and chemical resistance analysis indicated that fabricated composite films with variable additive content had excellent hydrophobicity and improved resistance to water, humidity, and chemical resistance. TGA data shows the increased thermal resistance of reinforced PU composite is attributed to the increased thermal deterioration temperature, resulted to the higher thermic degradation temperature of the terephthalic and sebacic acids used in the synthesis of PU. Smoke producing capacity of composite PU‐NF1.5A (0–3%) reduced from 82% to 52%. The LOI improved from 19 to 23 (−vol.%) at 3% APM additives.

Preparation and characterization of an eco‐friendly sand‐fixing agent utilizing nanosilica/polymer composites

“…Nanomaterials are the products of nanotechnology development and have been used in the fields of agriculture and industrial automation. For example, nanosilica, nanocarbon tubes, and various nanosized fillers or intensifiers are added to the materials to form composite materials 36,37 . The improvements caused by nanomaterials can be attributed to two aspects: (1) Nanosized particles of nanomaterials can cause changes in physical aspects, resulting in filling effects, and further improvement in mechanical properties 38–40 ; (2) Nanomaterials have higher surface energies, which strengthens the cementation between adjacent materials 41–44 .…”

“…For example, nanosilica, nanocarbon tubes, and various nanosized fillers or intensifiers are added to the materials to form composite materials. 36,37 The improvements caused by nanomaterials can be attributed to two aspects: (1) Nanosized particles of nanomaterials can cause changes in physical aspects, resulting in filling effects, and further improvement in mechanical properties [38][39][40] ; (2) Nanomaterials have higher surface energies, which strengthens the cementation between adjacent materials. [41][42][43][44] Among various nanomaterials, nano-SiO 2 (NS) is a useful nanomaterial, and it has low production costs and a good cementation effect.…”