Dyeing Polyurethane Foam by Plant Based Pigment

Abstract

Polyurethane rigid foam composites were produced by addition of plant-based filler as colour pigment. The filler used were turmeric powder, Kumkum powder, Telang's flower powder and dragon fruit peel's powder. These plant-based fillers were chosen due to their strong colour pigment that can enhanced the aesthetic value of the foam. In this study, these fillers were prepared by drying, blending and sieving, in order to obtain fine powder that can be added as particulate filler in polyurethane foams composite. The properties of the composite foam were compared with control PU foam with two variation of filler percentages (10wt% and 12wt%). The Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectra analysis show that the addition of filler in PU foam did not producing any new functional group, which proven that only physical mixing exists. On the other hand, compressive strength of 12wt% of filler is higher as compared to 10wt% and control PU foam. Morphology analysis by using Optical Microscope reveals that the addition of plant-based filler in PU foam has greatly enhanced the colour of the foam to strong yellow, red and blue respectively.