Handbook of Thermosetting Foams, Aerogels, and Hydrogels: From Fundamentals to Advanced Applications

Abstract

Thermoset foams have recently attracted a lot of attention due to their novel features, such as high self-ignition temperature, high heat/chemical/moisture resistance, highest FST, low cost, and easy processing. These foams are used in a variety of sectors, including thermal conductivity, acoustic applications, and fire safety. Because thermoset foams do not melt, they may be used in a wider range of temperatures than thermoplastic foams. Polyurethane, phenol-formaldehyde, melamine formaldehyde, urea formaldehyde, and epoxy are the most well-known thermoset foams. Among the thermoset foams, polyurethane is most popular due to its resilience, solvent resistance, and antibacterial properties. Thermoset foams are used for a variety of purposes, including insulating material, sandwich structure, reinforcement material, packaging, and furniture manufacturing. Like foams, aerogels and hydrogels are porous structures and are considered as super absorbents. They appear to be causal in reported rises in surface temperature and global climate changes due to superior absorption capabilities. Advantages associated with these unique materials are they can be tuned with desirable texture and surface properties. A number of various hydrogels/aerogels are now being created at the laboratory scale, and some of them have already been put into trial manufacturing. Thermoset aerogels/hydrogels expected to have excellent absorption efficiency, long shelf life than those made from natural resources. These can be tailored for targeted drug delivery, tissue engineering, biomedical applications, water treatments, energy storage, etc.The literature on this issue is growing, particularly in scientific fields of study. From an engineering standpoint, a number of research and technical studies dealing with these unique materials were reviewed in order to provide a holistic view of the new technologies of this rapidly expanding interdisciplinary field of study. This chapter provides an overview of different thermoset foams/aerogels/hydrogels. its current status, applications and future outlook. © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.