Overall
- Language
- English
- Conflict of Interest
- In relation to this article, we declare that there is no conflict of interest.
- Publication history
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Received July 4, 2025
Revised September 21, 2025
Accepted October 18, 2025
Available online January 26, 2026
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This is an Open-Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/bync/3.0) which permits
unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Most Cited
The Effects of Silane-Modified Hollow Silica Nanofillers on Thermo- Mechanical Properties of Rigid Polyurethane Foam
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11814-025-00581-3
Abstract
This study explores the enhancement of rigid polyurethane foams (RPUFs) by incorporating silane-modified hollow silica
(m-HS) to improve insulation and mechanical properties. Three silane coupling agents—HMDS, APTES, and AAPS—
were used to modify hollow silica, which was then added to RPUFs at concentrations of 0.5–5 wt%. RPUFs with 1.0 wt%
APTES-HS showed a 64.6% increase in compressive strength (2.24 ± 0.17 MPa) compared to the control. While thermal
conductivity improvements were unclear in foams due to structural variability, non-foam polyurethane blocks (PUBs) were
used to assess insulation performance. PUBs with 5.0 wt% APTES-HS exhibited a 37.3% reduction in thermal conductivity
(175 ± 38 mW/mK). These results indicate that silane surface modification of hollow silica enhances dispersion stability
and contributes to better mechanical and thermal performance in polyurethane-based materials, suggesting their promise
as high-performance construction materials.
