The potential of cuttlebone as reinforced filler of polyurethane

Abstract The potential of cuttlebone (CB) as a biomass reinforcing filler for waterborne polyurethane (WPU) was studied in this research. The crushed CB reacted and crosslinked with the WPU pre-polymer during the synthesis process. The structure, thermal properties and mechanical properties of WPU composites were investigated. An excellent adhesion was found between WPU and CB. The changes in their chemical structure and the improvement in the thermal stability were observed due to their interaction. The stiffness and the strength of WPU were doubled by adding 7.1% CB in weight without significantly reducing the breaking elongation.