Thermal and electrical properties of phenol formaldehyde foams reinforcing with reduced graphene oxide

Abstract

In this study, phenol formaldehyde/reduced graphene oxide (PF/RGO) foam nanocomposites were prepared. Here, RGO was obtained by the reduction of graphene oxide using an eco-friendly reducing agent potato starch. The scanning electron microscopic images of RGO reinforced foams exhibited smaller cells with thick cell walls as compared to neat PF foam that confirms the incorporation of filler material. The thermal and dielectric properties of the PF/ RGO foams were improved with increasing the wt% of RGO. The incorporation of RGO improved the thermal conductivity of the PF matrix (11.3% for 0.15 wt % of RGO) to a small extent. The prepared foams are efficient thermal insulation materials as well as efficient electrical conductors.

Recent Developments in Biobased Foams and Foam Composites for Construction Applications

“…PF foams possess excellent fire retardancy but lack mechanical robustness. Although foam toughness can be enhanced by adding various toughening agents such as polyethylene glycol [153][154][155][156][157][158] prepolymer [159][160][161][162][163][164], and polyvinyl alcohol [165,166], the foam loses its flame retardancy due to the flammability induced by these additives, resulting in a trade-off [130,167]. In an effort to replace highly effective halogen-based flame retardants, some studies have incorporated phosphorus containing compounds in the PF resin [168][169][170][171].…”

What about Phenol Formaldehyde (PF) Foam in Modern-Contemporary Art? Insights into the Unaged and Naturally Aged Material by a Multi-Analytical Approach

“…For this reason, they constitute a critical conservation issue in museum collections. Few studies have been done on the stability of PF foams; most of them focus on the curing and thermal degradation mechanism taking place in phenol formaldehyde resins [7,[12][13][14][15][16][17][18]. The thermal degradation mechanism is particularly important since many of these products are marketed as insulating foams.…”

Fabrication of ionic liquid modified carbon nanotubes-reinforced phenolic foam, structure-property relationships

“…By incorporating graphene oxide into phenolic resin, it is possible to increase the mechanical qualities of phenolic foam while simultaneously lowering the heat conductivity. 8 Celzard et al 9 developed novel rigid phenolic foams formed from tannins, which are innovative and environmentally benign thermal insulators. The materials released a relatively small amount of hydrocarbon fuel during thermal decomposition.…”