Role of refined paper fiber on structure of water blown soy polyol based polyurethane foams

In this communication, an interesting effect of mechanically refined cellulosic fiber, obtained from simple commercially available writing paper, has been studied on the foaming reactions of polyurethane based on polyol derived from soy bean oil. Presence of refined cellulosic paper fiber has been observed to have a considerable influence on the density of the foams. Changes in density of different foams have been correlated with the possible chemical structures generated in presence of the fiber, and analyzed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic study and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Further, differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) analysis has been performed to lend support to possible changes in foaming behavior in presence of refined fiber. Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) observations are in line with the modifications induced by the refined paper fiber.