Sustainable formulation strategies for polyurethane foams: Effects of silicone surfactants on morphology and functionality
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Background Polyurethane (PU) foams are widely used in industries like automotive and bedding, where performance relies heavily on foam morphology and mechanical properties. Silicone-based surfactants play a key role in stabilizing foam structure during production by reducing surface tension and influencing characteristics such as cell openness and firmness. However, the molecular-level relationship between surfactant structure, foam stability, and performance-particularly in high-resilience (HR) foams under low volatile organic compound (VOC) constraints-remains poorly understood. Methods This study explores the performance impact of three commercial, ultra-low VOC silicone surfactants (L-3002, L-3627, and L-3639) in HR PU foams across varying isocyanate indices (90 to 110) and surfactant concentrations. Using both free-rise and molded foam methods, we evaluated key properties such as foam settling, airflow, tensile and tear strength, rebound resilience, Hot ILD, Force-to-Crash, and Indentation Force Deflection. Findings Surfactant L-3627 demonstrated the most consistent performance, offering superior foam stability, mechanical strength, and thermal resistance at 1.0% loading. All surfactants performed optimally in polyol- rich conditions (index 90), but performance declined under isocyanate-rich conditions (index 110), indicating reduced surfactant mobility and stabilization. These insights support more precise surfactant selection to meet both regulatory and performance requirements.
Source: Results in Engineering
Author: Harith H. Al-Moameri
Institutions: Mustansiriyah University, Al-Naji University
Language: English
Subfield: Polymers and Plastics
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,940
Funder: Mustansiriyah University
OpenAlex ID: W4414979562