Overcoming the Density Limitation of Polyhydroxyurethane Self-Blown Foams through Sol–Gel Chemistry
4 affiliations
- 1CESAM Research Unit, University of Liège, Sart-Tilman B6a, Liège, Belgium, 4000
- 2CARPORVISU, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Liège, Sart-Tilman B6a, Liège, Belgium, 4000
- 3FRITCO2T Platform, University of Liège, Sart-Tilman B6a, Liège, Belgium, 4000
- 4WEL Research Institute, avenue Pasteur, 6, Wavre, Belgium, 1300
Abstract
Non-isocyanate polyurethane foams (NIPUFs), particularly polyhydroxyurethane (PHU) foams prepared by cyclic carbonate aminolysis, are promising safer alternatives to conventional polyurethane foams. Although water-induced CO 2 self-blowing can now be achieved from room-temperature formulations within minutes, access to foams with densities below 150 kg·m -3 remains a significant challenge. Herein, we introduce alkoxysilanes as additives for the fabrication of NIPUFs with ultra-low densities (30–50 kg·m -3 ). The strategy synergistically combines CO 2 generation from cyclic carbonate hydrolysis with in situ alcohol formation through alkoxysilane hydrolysis and condensation. Without external physical blowing agents, surfactants, or foam stabilizers, hybrid foams with densities of 28–35 kg·m -3 were obtained, entering the range of conventional lightweight foams. The resulting open-cell foams showed high porosity, complete cyclic carbonate conversion, and tunable mechanical properties depending on amine structure. Their rebound resilience was also strongly and reversibly modulated by humidity, increasing from 0–9% in the dry state to 37–56% at 90% RH and recovering upon drying. This work demonstrates a simple and versatile alkoxysilane-assisted self-co-blowing strategy toward low-density NIPU cellular materials with humidity-responsive mechanical functionality.
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BibTeX
@misc{makarov2026overcoming,
title = {{Overcoming the Density Limitation of Polyhydroxyurethane Self-Blown Foams through Sol–Gel Chemistry}},
author = {Maksim Makarov and Laetitia Urbanczyk and Maxime Bourguignon and Sébastien Calvo and Alexandre Léonard and Bruno Grignard and Christophe Detrembleur},
howpublished = {ChemRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.26434/chemrxiv.15009898/v1},
url = {https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15009898/v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Overcoming the Density Limitation of Polyhydroxyurethane Self-Blown Foams through Sol–Gel Chemistry
AU - Maksim Makarov
AU - Laetitia Urbanczyk
AU - Maxime Bourguignon
AU - Sébastien Calvo
AU - Alexandre Léonard
AU - Bruno Grignard
AU - Christophe Detrembleur
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/05
PB - ChemRxiv
DO - 10.26434/chemrxiv.15009898/v1
UR - https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15009898/v1
AB - Non-isocyanate polyurethane foams (NIPUFs), particularly polyhydroxyurethane (PHU) foams prepared by cyclic carbonate aminolysis, are promising safer alternatives to conventional polyurethane foams. Although water-induced CO 2 self-blowing can now be achieved from room-temperature formulations within minutes, access to foams with densities below 150 kg·m -3 remains a significant challenge. Herein, we introduce alkoxysilanes as additives for the fabrication of NIPUFs with ultra-low densities (30–50 kg·m -3 ). The strategy synergistically combines CO 2 generation from cyclic carbonate hydrolysis with in situ alcohol formation through alkoxysilane hydrolysis and condensation. Without external physical blowing agents, surfactants, or foam stabilizers, hybrid foams with densities of 28–35 kg·m -3 were obtained, entering the range of conventional lightweight foams. The resulting open-cell foams showed high porosity, complete cyclic carbonate conversion, and tunable mechanical properties depending on amine structure. Their rebound resilience was also strongly and reversibly modulated by humidity, increasing from 0–9% in the dry state to 37–56% at 90% RH and recovering upon drying. This work demonstrates a simple and versatile alkoxysilane-assisted self-co-blowing strategy toward low-density NIPU cellular materials with humidity-responsive mechanical functionality.
ER -