Eva-Marieke Lems
University of Natural Resources Austria
Title: Reinforcing Effect of Poly-furfurylalcohol on Freeze-dried Microfibrillated Cellulose Foams
Biography
Biography: Eva-Marieke Lems
Abstract
Lightweight foams are of general interest in a diversity of applications because of their low density and high specific surface area. Since there is a special interest to replace fossil-based polymers with polymers from renewable and biodegradable resources, cellulose nanofibrils and lignocellulosic nanofibrils were used to prepare bio-based foams, which could e.g. be used for insulating materials.
For the preparation of the porous materials, lignin-free bleached wood pulp, termed MFC, and microfibrillated cellulose with 17 % lignin content (MFLC) were used in aqueous suspensions. Furfuryl alcohol and maleic anhydride were added to the slurry, resulting in ratios of fibrils to furfuryl alcohol of 0.00, 0.03, 0.06, 0.11, 0.20, 0.33, and 0.50. After mixing with a high-shear blender, the mixtures were placed in an oven at 80 °C for 24 h in order to polymerize the furfuryl alcohol. Thereafter, foams were prepared by freeze-drying.
Characterization of the foams was performed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), ATR-Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), as well as mechanical testing (e.g. compression tests). Furfuryl alcohol content was found to significantly affect foam density. Furthermore, mechanical properties were significantly higher for MFLC-based foams.