Abstract Polyurethane (PU) composite foams were successfully reinforced with different concentrations (1 wt%, 2 wt%, 5 wt%) of nutmeg filler. The effect of nutmeg filler concentration on mechanical, thermal, antimicrobial and anti-aging properties of PU composite foams was investigated. PU foams were examined by rheological behavior, processing parameters, cellular structure (Scanning Electron Microscopy analysis), mechanical properties (compression test, impact test, three-point bending test, impact strength), thermal properties (Thermogravimetric Analysis), viscoelastic behavior (Dynamic Mechanical Analysis) as well as selected application properties (thermal conductivity, flammability, apparent density, dimensional stability, surface hydrophobicity, water absorption, color characteristic). In order to Disc Diffusion Method, all PU composites were tested against selected bacteria (Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus). Based on the results, it can be concluded that the addition of 1 wt% of nutmeg filler leads to PU composite foams with improved compression strength (e.g. improvement by ~19%), higher flexural strength (e.g. increase of ~11%), improved impact strength (e.g. increase of ~32%) and comparable thermal conductivity (0.023–0.034 W m−1 K−1). Moreover, the incorporation of nutmeg filler has a positive effect on the fire resistance of PU materials. For example, the results from the cone calorimeter test showed that the incorporation of 5 wt% of nutmeg filler significantly reduced the peak of heat release rate (pHRR) by ca. 60% compared with that of unmodified PU foam. It has been also proved that nutmeg filler may act as a natural anti-aging compound of PU foams. The incorporation of nutmeg filler in each amount successfully improved the stabilization of PU composite foams. Based on the antibacterial results, it has been shown that the addition of nutmeg filler significantly improved the antibacterial properties of PU composite foams against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.

中文翻译：

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肉豆蔻填料作为天然化合物，用于生产具有抗菌和抗老化性能的聚氨酯复合泡沫

摘要 用不同浓度（1 wt%、2 wt%、5 wt%）的肉豆蔻填料成功地增强了聚氨酯（PU）复合泡沫。研究了肉豆蔻填料浓度对 PU 复合泡沫的力学、热学、抗菌和抗老化性能的影响。通过流变行为、加工参数、蜂窝结构（扫描电子显微镜分析）、机械性能（压缩测试、冲击测试、三点弯曲测试、冲击强度）、热性能（热重分析）、粘弹性行为（动态机械分析）以及选定的应用特性（导热性、可燃性、表观密度、尺寸稳定性、表面疏水性、吸水性、颜色特性）。为了圆盘扩散法，所有 PU 复合材料都针对选定的细菌（大肠杆菌和金黄色葡萄球菌）进行了测试。基于结果，可以得出结论，添加 1 wt% 的肉豆蔻填料导致 PU 复合泡沫具有改善的压缩强度（例如提高约 19%）、更高的弯曲强度（例如增加约 11%）、改善冲击强度（例如增加~32%）和相当的热导率（0.023–0.034 W m-1 K-1）。此外，肉豆蔻填料的加入对PU材料的耐火性有积极的影响。例如，锥形量热仪测试的结果表明，加入 5 wt% 的肉豆蔻填料可显着降低热释放率 (pHRR) 峰值约。60% 与未改性 PU 泡沫相比。还证明肉豆蔻填料可以作为聚氨酯泡沫的天然抗老化化合物。加入各种量的肉豆蔻填料成功地提高了 PU 复合泡沫的稳定性。根据抗菌结果，肉豆蔻填料的加入显着提高了聚氨酯复合泡沫对革兰氏阳性菌和革兰氏阴性菌的抗菌性能。