Enhancement of Mechanical and Thermal Insulation Properties of Polyvinyl Chloride Foam Using Leather Shavings

Abstract

The global production of leather shavings (LSs) amounts to millions of tons annually, posing significant challenges in terms of resource waste and environmental pollution if not effectively managed. This study explores the utilization of LSs by fabricating modified leather fibers (MLFs) as reinforcing fillers to enhance the mechanical and thermal insulation properties of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) foams. The process involved pulverizing LSs and modifying them with a polyethylene glycol–isophorone diisocyanate (PEG–IPDI) prepolymer to create MLF. This MLF was then incorporated into PVC to produce MLF/PVC foam. The PEG–IPDI prepolymer modification aligned the surface free energy of MLF (33.82 ± 1.97 mJ/m2) with that of PVC (31.08 ± 3.65 mJ/m2), thereby improving their interfacial compatibility and imparting thermal energy storage capacity to the MLF. The resulting MLF/PVC foam exhibited enhancements in compressive strength and modulus, showing increases of 93.7% and 165.8%, respectively, compared to pure PVC foam. Furthermore, MLF/PVC foam demonstrated a slower surface temperature increase when heated using a heating plate at 110°C compared to pure PVC foam. These findings indicate that MLF enhances the mechanical and thermal insulation properties of PVC foams, primarily due to the improved foaming and thermal storage capacities imparted by the MLF.