Characteristics of Foam Biocomposites from Tapioca, Chitosan, Polyvinyl Alcohol in Variations of Concentration and Mixed Ratio of Sorbitol/Toluene Diisocyanate

Biocomposite foam is a foam-shaped material formed from a mixture of natural materials that can form a gel matrix with the help of a foam former. This study aimed to examine the effect of sorbitol and toluene diisocyanate (TDI-80) concentration and mixture ratio on the characteristics of tapioca, chitosan, and polyvinyl alcohol biocomposite foam and to determine the optimal concentration and mixture ratio of sorbitol/TDI-80. The experiment was designed using a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with three concentration treatments (15%, 17.5%, and 20%) and three ratio treatments (4:6, 5:5, and 6:4) in two groups of biocomposite foam production times. The variables observed included tensile strength, compression set, density, thickness expansion, thickness, tear strength, and biodegradation time. Sorbitol and toluene diisocyanate concentration of 17.5% with a sorbitol and toluene diisocyanate ratio 6:4 produced the best biocomposite foam with a tensile strength of 15.8 N/cm2, compression set of 8.8%, density of 0.3 kg/m3, thickness expansion of 1.1%, thickness of 9.7 mm, tear strength of 11.3 N/cm2, and biodegradation time of 12.0 days.