Effects of isocyanate index and environmentally-friendly blowing agents on the morphological, mechanical, and thermal insulating properties of polyisocyanurate-polyurethane foams

The effects of the isocyanate (NCO) index and blowing agent on the morphology, mechanical strength, thermal conductivity and thermal stability of the polyisocyanurate-polyurethane (PIR-PUR) foams were investigated. When the NCO index was increased, the isocyanurate ring content in the PIR-PUR foams was found to be increased regardless the type of blowing agents. As a results, the thermal stability of the PIR-PUR foams was improved. When the isocyanurate ring content in the PIR-PUR foams was increased, the cell size was slightly decreased. The decreased cell size of the foams affected the decrease in the thermal conductivity of the PIR-PUR foams regardless the type of the blowing agents. From the results of thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), the thermal stability of the PIR-PUR foams was found to increase with an increase in the NCO index. When the NCO index was 200, the compressive strength was maximal for the PIR-PUR foams regardless the type of the blowing agents. The compressive strength of the foams blown by cyclopentane was higher than that of the water blown foams. From the above results, it is suggested that the thermal insulation property and thermal stability of the PIR-PUR foams increased with an increase in the NCO index. However, the compressive strength of the PIR-PUR foams showed maximum value at a specific NCO index.