Anionic waterborne polyurethane (aWPU) is not compatible with graphene oxide (GO) due to the repulsive force acting on identical ionic charges. In this study, we fabricated cationic surfactant treated GO and cationic surfactant treated carbon nanotube (CNT) to increase the compatibility with aWPU. Cationic waterborne polyurethane (WPU) and nanocomposites thereof were also prepared. On the basis of the mechanical properties of the nanocomposites, glass transition temperature (Tg), and a stability test, it was found that the compatibility between WPU and a nanofiller (NF) was enhanced to a great extent when WPU and NF had opposite ionicity. The Tg and mechanical properties of WPU increased with the addition of NF, showed the maximum value and thereafter decreased with further addition. The effect of composition of ionic monomer in WPU was also investigated. As the composition of the ionic monomer increases, the concentration of NF for the maximum Tg and mechanical properties increases. This was attributed to the ionic association between the NF and WPU.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.