Mechanical and thermal properties of polyvinyl acetate foams reinforced with biopolymers

The study developed and designed polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) foams using advanced freeze-drying technology, which exhibited good heat-insulating ability, flame retardancy, and mechanical properties. Different combinations of bleach kraft pulp, water-soluble chitosan, and zinc borate were used to reinforce the foams. The foams exhibited desirable compression and flexural properties, with compression strength and compression modulus ranging from 0.01 MPa to 0.08 MPa and 0.05 MPa to 0.29 MPa, respectively, while flexural strength and flexural modulus ranged from 0.12 MPa to 5.37 MPa and 9.86 MPa to 260,85 MPa, respectively. The use of zinc borate as a reinforcement resulted in improved thermal properties and reduced mass loss at 600°C by 20.69%. Thermal conductivity tests indicated that the foams had low thermal conductivity values ranging from 0.037 W/mK to 0.074 W/mK. The foams with zinc borate (60  g/L) and high molecular weight water-soluble chitosan (70  g/L) reinforcement exhibited high limiting oxygen index (LOI) of 28.72%. Overall, the results suggest that the PVAc foams could serve as a promising sustainable alternative in thermal insulation and construction fields.