Shape memory polymers (SMP) are smart materials with the ability of changing shape when subjected to external stimuli. In this work, the shape memory polyurethane (SMPU) has been synthesized via two step bulk polymerization method by replacing up to 40% molar ratio of petroleum-based polyol using palm oil-based polyols (POP). This effort was done with the purpose of reducing the usage of petroleum-based polyol due to environmental awareness. The main objective is to investigate the effects of different polyol/isocyanate/1,4-butanediol molar ratio in relation to soft-hard segment content towards the mechanical and shape memory properties of the resulting SMPU. The mechanical properties were improved with POP addition and optimum performance of tensile properties were obtained within 35 to 40% of hard segment content. Tensile strength increased with increasing POP content but after 40% of hard segment content, the properties decreased. On the other hand, the modulus significantly reduced with an increase of hard segment content. Crystallinity also decreased with decreasing of polycaprolactone diol (PCL) content as more POP content was added. Shape memory properties of PU 165 is better than PU 154 in terms of the ability to return to its original shape since all of PU 165 samples showed 100% recovery. In general, the addition of palm oil-based polyol showed improvement in mechanical and shape memory properties as compared to pristine SMPU.

Shape memory polyurethanes (SMPU) are one of the advanced materials that have potential applications in the field of biomedical particularly vascular stent. This paper studies the effect of incorporating palm oil polyol (POP) up to 40% molar ratio in place of petroleum-based polyol in the preparation of SMPU due to environmental concern. Polycaprolactone diol was utilized as the soft segment while 4,4-diphenylmethane diisocyanate and 1,4-butanediol as the hard segments. The SMPU was prepared using two-step prepolymer method, and the fabricated samples were characterized to study the effect of POP on the thermal properties, tensile, and shape memory behavior of polyurethane. The results obtained have shown that SMPU with incorporation of POP showed good shape fixity (100%) and elongation at break (245%) up to 20% molar ratio of POP. The presence of dangling chains of fatty acid in POP was believed to enhance the flexibility of SMPU molecular chains by acting as a plasticizer. On the other hand, the shape recovery of SMPU remains high even at 40% molar ratio of POP, and the thermal stability of SMPU increased with the addition of POP. It is proposed that the synthesized POP-based SMPU is a suitable candidate for cardiovascular stent as they possessed desired thermal, mechanical, and shape memory properties.

This paper described the effect of empty fruit bunch (EFB) loading in the medium density rigid foam, which was prepared from the palm kernel oil based polyol. The grounded 300 mu m EFB fiber was used as filler and its composition were varied from 3, 6, 9 and 12 weight percent. EFB filled PU shown good dimensional stability at 70 degrees C and -15 degrees C due expending and shrinking percentage are less than 0.8% and 0.4% respectively. The mechanical properties were increased linearly with the EFB loading until it reached an optimum percentage of the EFB. SEM images shows the usage of big size cylindrical particle suggested that the fiber pull out will responsible for the synergistic effect of flexibility and strength of the biofoam produced.

A series of nanoclay reinforced thermoplastic polyurethane with shape memory effect have been successfully synthesized via two-step polymerization process. The polyurethanes are composed of polycaprolactonediol, palm oil polyol, 4,4'-diphenylmethane diisocyanate and 1,4-butanediol. Nanoclay was added in order to improve the overall properties of the pristine polyurethane. Besides, the addition of palm oil polyol is believed to enhance the crosslinking process and further improve the properties. X-ray diffraction result showed that there is a decrease in crystallinity of polyurethane nanocomposites as clay is added. Good shape memory and mechanical properties of resulting polyurethane nanocomposites were obtained in this work.

The main objective of this study was to investigate the effect of different types and molecular weight (MW) of polyol on the shape memory properties of palm kernel oil-based shape memory polyurethane (SMPU) prepared by two step bulk polymerization procedure. Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) with MW 2000 and MW 4000 were used as the main material for soft segment. The addition of palm kernel oil polyol (PKO-p) in the SMPU system is due to the concern of the renewable resources. Shape fixity and shape recovery properties were investigated using bending test to evaluate the shape memory effect. The results indicate that the shape fixity of SMPU depends primarily on the types of polyol whereas MW had a slight effect towards the shape fixity. SMPU synthesized from PEG with MW 2000 performed a good shape fixity, about 96% compared to that of PCL with MW 2000, about 29%. In the case of PCL - based SMPU, the increase of shape fixity is proportional to the increase of MW. All samples, except the one based on PEG4000, exhibited excellent shape recovery (100%). (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.