Mechanical, thermal and morphological characterization of cellulose fiber-reinforced phenolic foams

In this work, the compressive mechanical properties, thermal stability and morphology of cellulose fiber-reinforced phenolic foams were studied. The cellulose fiber-reinforced phenolic foam showed the greatest compressive mechanical properties by incorporating 2 wt.% of the reinforcement. The compressive modulus and strength of 2 wt.% cellulose fiber-reinforced phenolic foam were increased by 21% and 18%, respectively, relative to the unreinforced material. The addition of the cellulose fibers to the phenolic foam slightly decreased the thermal stability of the material. The study on the morphology of the cellulose-reinforced phenolic foams via Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) indicated a strong bonding between the fibers and phenolic matrix. In addition, the incorporation of the cellulose fibers into the foam resulted in a decreased cell size and increased cell density of the material. The incorporation of 2 wt.% of cellulose fibers into the phenolic foam led to obtain the material with the best features.