Thermal Characterisation of Thermoset Polyester Resin Filled Recycle Expanded Polystyrene Composite with Aerogel and Alumina Additives

Abstract

The preparation and characterization of Unsaturated Polyester Resin (UPR) filled recycled Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) composite systems were systematically investigated. Additives such as Alumina and silica aerogel powder were added to the composite for Infrared reflection and insulation enhancement. The effect of differing alumina weight percentage on the thermal properties, i.e. thermal conductivity and glass transition temperature, Tg were determined. The fabricated composite undergoes thermal analysis by using a DSC and a hand-held thermal probe, and characterized by a FTIR. There is little variation of the Tg across the samples tested. Specific heat capacity, cp from the DSC thermogram was significantly affected by incorporation of silica aerogel; 565 J/kgK compared to the unfilled sample result of 1706 kJ/kg. The thermal conductivity showed a minimum at 0.147 W m-1 K-1 from integrated silica aerogel only sample, and alumina addition increases the thermal conductivity above the minimum k value in the ranges 0.227-0.313 W m-1 K-1. Alternative Cp values from the thermal probe followed similar trend as the DSC Cp. Thermal diffusivity from the probe also showed an increase upon silica aerogel and alumina incorporation.