Sound absorption and thermal insulation properties of composite thermoplastic polyurethane/polystyrene (TPU/PS) nanofiber web and TPU nanofiber web and PS-extracted TPU/PS microfiber web

In this study, composite thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU)/polystyrene (PS) nanofiber web and TPU nanofiber web and PS-extracted TPU/PS microfiber web have been experimentally investigated with regard to sound absorption and thermal conductivity coefficients to observe a potential use in sound and thermal insulation areas. Moreover, other properties such as surface area, morphology, tensile strength/elongation, air permeability, and thermal degradation have been analyzed. It has been observed that nanofiber web properties such as fiber diameter, extensibility, pore volume, and porosity have been clearly changed by Soxhlet extraction of PS from the composite TPU/PS nanofibers. PS-extracted TPU/PS fibers can be preferred for the low frequency (600-800 Hz) due to higher SAC (0.7). On the other hand, TPU nanofibers were more effective at medium frequencies (around 3000 Hz, SAC 0.6). Both TPU and PS-extracted TPU/PS composite fibers had similar thermal conductivities, whereas TPU/PS composite nanofibers had lowest thermal conductivity (0.05 W/mK) with moderate maximum SAC value (around 1000 Hz, SAC 0.5-0.6).

Automated summary

This study experimentally investigated the composite thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU)/polystyrene (PS) nanofiber web and TPU nanofiber web and PS-extracted TPU/PS microfiber web with regards to their sound absorption and thermal conductivity coefficients. The properties of the nanofiber webs were clearly affected by the extraction of PS from the composite fibers. The PS-extracted TPU/PS fibers showed better performance in low frequencies, while TPU nanofibers were more effective at medium frequencies. The TPU/PS composite nanofibers had the lowest thermal conductivity and moderate sound absorption coefficient at certain frequencies.