Waterborne polyurethane/inorganic hybrid composites: preparation, morphology and properties

Abstract

A series of waterborne polyurethane/inorganic (WPU/TiO 2 ) hybrid composites were synthesised by a sol-gel process on the basis of isophorone diisocyanate, polyether polyol (GE-210), dimethylolpropionic acid, tetrabutyl titanate (TBT) and 3-glycidyloxypropyl trimethoxysilane as a coupling agent. The physical properties of the WPU and WPU/TiO 2 dispersions and hybrids were measured. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy and X-ray diffraction were used to assess the fracture surface morphology and the dispersions of the WPU/TiO 2 hybrids. The scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy results showed that the TiO 2 particles were dispersed homogeneously in the WPU matrix in nanoscale. The prepared hybrids showed good thermal stability and mechanical properties in comparison with pure WPU and showed tunable transparence with the TBT fraction in the film. Through suitable adjustment of TBT content, some thin hybrids have potential applications, such as coatings, leather finishing, adhesives, sealants, plastic coatings and wood finishes.

Preparation and characterization of poly(urethane-siloxane)/titanium-dioxide nanocomposites

“…The Rq values for prepared PUSNs are in the range from 10.3 to 27.7 nm, with the highest value obtained for the PUSN2 sample. The increased surface roughness of this sample could be the reason for the highest hydrophobicity and nonwettability as suggested in literature [28,30]. Moreover, prepared PUSNs exhibit much higher Rq values than that of the pure PUS copolymer (3.3 nm).…”

“…The residual weight of the pure PUS and PUSNs mainly originated from the MDI-BD fraction [19]. The highest residual weight determined for the PUSN5 sample is a result of the highest content of TiO2 nanoparticles, which contribute to the residual component of thermal degradation of PUSNs [27,28].…”

Analyzing the influence of different synthetic talcs in waterborne polyurethane nanocomposites obtainment

“…Dispersed nanofillers improve physical/chemical properties of nanocomposites such as mechanical strength, conductivity, thermal stability, and optical properties . Literature describes that different fillers have been introduced into WPU such as silver nanoparticles, halloysite nanotubes, metallic oxides, graphene, silica, nanoclays, nano‐Fe 3 O 4 , and cellulose nanocrystals . Talc is also a good alternative due to its low cost and availability.…”

Study on microphase separation of novel crosslinked polyurethane by AFM and DMA

“…20,21 Organic-inorganic hybrid composites have attracted much interest in materials science as they often exhibit particular properties. 22,23 GCB-crystal is a kind of semiorganic crystal with a special surface, which may strongly affect the macroscopic behavior and microphase separation or crystallization between the soft and hard segments of polyurethane composites. However, to the best of our knowledge, there have been no attempts to exploit the interaction between GCB-crystal and polyurethane (PU).…”