Research on WPU‐RGO/ATP‐Fe3O4/chitosan composites with excellent electrical and magnetic properties

First, attapulgite‐Fe₃O₄ magnetic filler (ATP‐Fe₃O₄) was prepared by using a chemical precipitation method. Subsequently, graphite oxide (GO) was prepared through Hummer method, and then reduced GO (RGO) was prepared through GO reduced by chitosan (CS). Finally, a series of WPU‐RGO/ATP‐Fe₃O₄/CS composites were prepared by introduced RGO/ATP‐Fe₃O₄/CS to waterborne polyurethane. The structure and properties were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM), thermogravimetric analysis TGA, conductivity test, and tensile test. The experimental results indicated that thermal stability and tensile strength of nanocomposites were improved with the increase of the content of RGO/ATP‐Fe₃O₄/CS. Meanwhile, with the increase of the RGO/ATP‐Fe₃O₄/CS content, the electrical and magnetic properties of WPU‐RGO/ATP‐Fe₃O₄/CS composites were improved. When the content of RGO/ATP‐Fe₃O₄/CS was 8 wt%, the electrical conductivity and the saturation magnetic strength of WPU‐RGO/ATP‐Fe₃O₄/CS composites were 3.1 × 10^?7 S·cm^?1 and 1.38 emu/g, respectively. WPU‐RGO/ATP‐Fe₃O₄/CS composites have excellent electrical and magnetic properties.     

Polyester/organo‐graphite oxide composite: Effect of organically surface modified layered graphite on structure and physical properties of poly(ε‐caprolactone)

Silylated graphite oxide (sGO) was selected as suitable filler to improve the mechanical and electrical conductive properties of poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL). The composites of PCL and sGO were prepared by solution blending method. By modifying the surface of GO with silylation reagent (octyltrichlorosilane), the interlayer space of graphite oxide (GO) was increased and an excellent dispersion of the modified GO in the organic solvent and into the PCL matrix was achieved. The structures and physical properties of the sGO/PCL composites were characterized by the fourier transform infrared (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), wide angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD) analysis, differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), tensile tests, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and volume resistivity measurements. It indicated that the PCL/sGO composites formed an exfoliated structure from the WAXD study. The tensile strength and Young′s modulus of PCL increased with the addition of sGO. It was also found that a small amount of the sGO platelets in the composite could act as a nucleating agent and accelerated the crystallization of PCL. Further, the addition of the sGO platelets into the PCL matrix increased the volume electrical conductivity of PCL. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 48: 294–301, 2010     

Study on structure and performance of surface‐metallized carbon fibers reinforced rigid polyurethane composites

The simultaneous promotion in mechanical and electrical properties of rigid polyurethane (RPU) is an important task for expanding potential application. In this work, carbon fibers (CFs) reinforced RPU composites were prepared with the goal of improving mechanical and electrical properties. Metallized CFs meet our performance requirements and can be easily achieved via electrodeposition. However, the weak bonding strength in fiber‐metal‐RPU interface restricts their application. Inspired by the reducibility and wonderful adhesion of dopamine (DA), we proposed a new and efficient electrochemical method to fabricate metallized CFs, where DA polymerization was simultaneously integrated coupled with the reduction of metal ions (Ni²⁺). The characterization results helped us to gain insight about the reaction mechanism, which was never reported as far as we know. Compared with pure RPU, the tensile, interlaminar shear and impact strength of polydopamine (PDA)‐nickel (Ni) modified CFs/RPU composites were improved by 11.2%, 21.0%, and 78.0%, respectively, which attributed to the strong interfacial adhesion, including mechanical interlocking and chemical crosslinking between treated CFs and RPU. In addition, the PDA‐Ni surface treatment method also affected the dispersion of short CFs in the RPU, which increased the possibility of conductor contact and reduced insulator between fibers networks, resulting in higher electrical conductivity.     

Phenolic resin/polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) composites: Mechanical,ablative, thermal,and flame retardant properties

Three different polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS), trisilanolphenyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (T‐POSS), octaaminophenyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (OAPS), and octaphenyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (OPS) were incorporated into phenolic resin (PR), respectively; PR/POSS composites were successfully prepared, and the properties of PR/POSS composites were studied. The limiting oxygen index (LOI), cone calorimeter, and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) were used for the estimation of flame retardancy and thermal stability. Oxyacetylene flame test and flexural strength test were used to study the ablative and mechanical properties of the PR/POSS composites. The results indicated that T‐POSS was more effective in improving the flame retardancy of PR than OAPS or OPS. Meanwhile, compared with pure PR, the second line ablation rates of PR/4% T‐POSS, PR/4% OAPS, and PR/4% OPS were significantly reduced by 53.3%, 61.9%, and 40.0%, respectively. In addition, the thermal stability and flexural strength of PR/4% T‐POSS were significantly higher than that of all other PR composites.     

Effects of functional graphene oxide on the properties of phenyl silicone rubber composites

Graphene oxide (GO) was treated with two types of surfactants, i.e., silane coupling agent (KH550) and 4,4’-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI), incorporated into phenyl silicone rubber at a low concentration (≤0.2 wt%), and cured by the room temperature vulcanized method. The effects of functional graphene oxide on the dielectric behaviour, thermal conductivity, optical transmittance and mechanical properties of the composites were investigated. The results showed that the particle size changed after modification and that the modified GO dispersed well in the phenyl silicone rubber. The composites with MDI modified GO exhibited better electrical insulation and lower light loss in the ultraviolet–visible region than the composites with KH550 modified GO. However, composites filled with KH550 modified GO present better thermal conductivity.     

High thermal conductivity EP adhesive based on the GO/EP interface optimized by TDI

Graphene oxide (GO) was used as the filler to modify the epoxy resin (EP) adhesive, and the GO/EP interface was optimized by toluene diisocyanate (TDI) in order to improve the thermal conductivity and T peel strength performance of the adhesive. Through the characterization of the GO product, which was modified by TDI, TDI was grafted onto the surface of GO, and there were NCO groups remaining; thus the chemical bonds were built onto the interface which was non‐wetting between GO and EP. The results of the properties characterization of the adhesive indicated that the bonding properties were significantly enhanced, especially the T peel strength, which was up to 9.62 N/mm, which was contributed by the optimized GO/EP interface. The thermal conductivity of the adhesive increased to 0.624 W m^?1 K^?1, as the interface thermal resistance was reduced after the interface between GO/EP was optimized by TDI. The insulation performance of the adhesive was also improved, since the well‐dispersed GO formed a micro‐capacitance model in EP, and the surface of GO was covered by the EP so that the electronic paths were blocked by the formed chemical bonds.     

Enhancement of tensile,electrical and thermal properties of epoxy nanocomposites through chemical hybridization of polypyrrole and graphene oxide

This paper presents the properties of epoxy nanocomposites, prepared using a synthesized hybrid Polypyrrole-Graphene Oxide (PPy-GO) filler, via in-situ chemical polymerization, at various filler loadings (i.e., 0.5–2 w. t %). The microstructures and properties of the PPy-GO hybrids and epoxy nanocomposites were studied via Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), mechanical (Tensile Properties), electrical, Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) and thermogravimetric analyses (TGA). Morphological study demonstrated that varying the nanofiller nature (PPy-GOs, PPy or GO) lead to different states of dispersion. Mechanical, electrical and thermal analysis demonstrated that the hybrid concentration and its architecture (PPy:GO ratio) are interesting factors significantly affected the properties of the epoxy based nanocomposites. On the other hand, the mechanical performance of the cured nanocomposites outperformed the PPy-GO, with enhancements of 78% and 51% of Young's modulus and strength, respectively. Here it has been established that the embedding of PPy-GO hybrids into pristine epoxy endows optimum dispersion of PPy and GO as well as better interfacial adhesion between the fillers and matrix, which results in a significant improvement in load transfer effectiveness. Electrical conductivity measurements showed that conductivity of epoxy filled nanocomposites increased up 10⁻⁴ S/cm for Epoxy/PPy-GO nanocomposites. DMTA test indicated that incorporation of PPy-GO resulted in a significantly increase in Tg of the resultant nanocomposites, which is attributed to the highly exfoliation structure and the stronger interfacial interaction. The PPy-GO particles enhanced electrical, thermal and mechanical properties of nanocomposites, confirming the synergistic effect of PPy-GO as multifunctional filler.     

The mechanical and electrical properties of carbon nanotube‐grafted polyimide nanocomposites

Polyimide (PI)‐based nanocomposites containing aminophenyl functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (AP‐MWCNTs) obtained through a diazonium salt reaction was successfully prepared by in situ polymerization. PI composites with different loadings of AP‐MWCNTs were fabricated by the thermal conversion of poly(amic acid) (PAA)/AP‐MWCNTs. The mechanical and electrical properties of the AP‐MWCNTs/PI composites were improved compared with those of pure PI due to the homogeneous dispersion of AP‐MWCNTs and the strong interfacial covalent bonds between AP‐MWNTs and the PI matrix. The conductivity of AP‐MWNTs/PI composites (5:95 w/w) was 9.32 × 10^?1 S/cm which was about 10¹⁵ times higher than that of Pure PI. The tensile strength and tensile modules of the AP‐MWCNTs/PI composites with 0.5 wt % of AP‐MWCNTs were increased by about 77% (316.9 ± 10.5 MPa) and 25% (8.30 ± 1.10 GPa) compared to those of pure PI, respectively. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2014 , 52, 960–966     

Simultaneous enhancement of electrical conductivity and impact strength via formation of carbon black‐filler network in PP/EPDM Blends

The electrical conductivity and impact strength of polypropylene(PP)/EPDM/carbon black ternary composites were investigated in this paper. Two processing methods were employed to prepare these ternary composites. One was called one‐step processing method, in which the elastomer and the filler directly melt blended with PP matrix. Another one was called two‐step processing method, in which the elastomer and the filler were mixed first, and then melt blended with pure PP. To get an optimal phase morphology that favors the electrical conductivity and impact strength, controlling the distribution of CB in PP/EPDM blend was a crucial factor. Thus the interfacial tension and the work of adhesion were first calculated based on the measurement of contact angle, and the results showed that CB tended to be accumulated around EPDM phases to form filler‐network structure. Expectably, the filler‐network structure was observed in PP/EPDM/CB(80/20/3) composite prepared by two‐step processing method. The formation of this filler‐network structure decreased the percolation threshold of CB particles in polymer matrix, and the electrical conductivity as well as Izod impact strength of the composite increased dramatically. This work provided a new way to prepare polymer composites with both improved conductivity and impact strength. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Combined effect of graphene oxide and MWCNTs on microwave absorbing performance of epoxy composites

Currently, carbon nanotube (CNT) ‐based composites have been considered as microwave absorbers because of the fascinating properties of CNTs. In this work, multi‐walled CNTs (MWCNTs) and graphene oxide (GO) ‐based epoxy composites (i.e. MWCNT/EPr and GO‐MWCNT/EPr), with sample thickness of 2 mm, were prepared to study microwave absorbing properties in the frequency band of 8–18 GHz. Uniform dispersion of MWCNTs in the organic solvent and polymer matrix was achieved by preparation of GO. The test for electromagnetic parameters, i.e. complex permittivity and the permeability of the samples, was carried out with vector network analyzer (VNA) using reflection‐transmission waveguides. Results showed that GO‐MWCNT/EPr composites have better absorption capability than MWCNT/EPr composites. The improved reflection loss for the composites with 0.4 wt% and 0.6 wt% of GO (out of total filler loading 6 wt%) were ?14.32 dB and ?14.29 dB, respectively. The improvement in reflection loss and absorption bandwidth for GO‐MWCNTs composites suggested that MA features are synergistically effected by GO and MWCNTs. Further skin depth and shielding effectiveness terms are studied to observe overall mechanism of electromagnetic (EM) shielding which showed that multiple reflections also play a role in EM shielding. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Ionic liquid functionalized graphene oxide for enhancement of styrene‐butadiene rubber nanocomposites

Ionic liquid 1‐allyl‐3‐methyl‐imidazolium chloride (AMICl) is used to fine‐tune the surface properties of graphene oxide (GO) sheets for fabricating ionic liquid functionalized GO (GO‐IL)/styrene‐butadiene rubber (SBR) nanocomposites. The morphology and structure of GO‐IL are characterized using atomic force microscope, X‐ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, UV‐vis spectra and Raman spectra. The interaction between GO and AMICl molecules as well as the effects of GO‐IL on the mechanical properties, thermal conductivity and solvent resistance of SBR are thoroughly studied. It is found that AMICl molecules can interact with GO via the combination of hydrogen bond and cation–π interaction. GO‐IL can be well‐dispersed in the SBR matrix, as confirmed by X‐ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope. Therefore, the SBR nanocomposites incorporating GO‐IL exhibit greatly enhanced performance. The tensile strength, tear strength, thermal conductivity and solvent resistance of GO‐IL/SBR nanocomposite with 5 parts per hundred rubber GO‐IL are increased by 505, 362, 34 and 31%, respectively, compared with neat SBR. This method provides a new insight into the fabrication of multifunctional GO‐based rubber composites. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Fabrication and electrorheology of graphene oxide/ionic N-substituted copolyaniline composite

Graphene oxide/copolyaniline (GO/NCOPA) composites were prepared with GO, which was prepared using a modified Hummers method and a monomer mixture containing aniline and ionic sodium diphenylamine sulfonate, where ionic N-substituted copolyaniline was synthesized by chemical oxidation. The GO/NCOPA composite, as a dry-base electrorheological (ER) fluid system, was dispersed in silicone oil. With the ionic substituent on the polymer chain, the composite showed both controllable electrical conductivity and higher polarization, which provide favorable factors for ER applications. The GO/NCOPA composite-based ER fluid containing a copolymer with an ionic group exhibited typical ER characteristics, as measured using a rotational rheometer equipped with a Couette-type cylinder and a high voltage generator. The dielectric spectra measure was correlated further with their ER performance.     

Mechanical properties and degradation studies of poly(D,L‐lactide‐co‐glycolide) 50:50/graphene oxide nanocomposite films

Poly(D,L‐lactide‐co‐glycolide) 50:50 (PLGA)/graphene oxide (GO) nanocomposite films were prepared with various GO weight fractions. A significant enhancement of mechanical properties of the PLGA/GO nanocomposite films was obtained with GO weight fractions. The incorporation of only 5 wt% of GO resulted in an ~2.5‐fold and ~4.7‐fold increase in the tensile strength and Young's modulus of PLGA, respectively. The thermomechanical behaviors of composite films were investigated by dynamic mechanical analysis. Results indicated that the values of T_g and storage moduli of the PLGA/GO composites were higher than those of the pristine PLGA. The improvement in oxygen barrier properties of composites was presumably attributed to the filler effect of the randomly dispersed GO throughout the PLGA matrix. In this work, we also studied in vitro biodegradation behavior. PLGA/GO composite films were hydrolyzed at 37°C for periods up to 49 days. Because of the presence of GO nanosheets, degradation of composite films took place more slowly with increasing GO amounts. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Multifunctional nanocomposites based on tetraethylenepentamine-modified graphene oxide/epoxy

Composites based on epoxy/graphene were investigated for thermal-mechanical performance. Initially, few-layer graphene oxide (GO) was modified with tetraethylenepentamine (GO-TEPA) in a reaction assisted by microwave radiation. GO and GO-TEPA samples were characterized for their structure and morphology. Composites containing 0.1, 0.3 and 0.5 wt.% of GO and GO-TEPA were prepared, and the effect of fillers on the morphology of cryofractured regions of epoxy matrix was observed through electron microscopy images. Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMA) tests revealed increases of approximately 20 °C in glass transition. Moreover, when compared to neat polymer, composites containing 0.5 wt.% of GO-TEPA gained up to 103% in thermal conductivity (obtained by flash laser). Finally, nanoindentation analyses showed increases of 72% in Young's modulus and 143% in hardness for the same sample. The system is characterized as multifunctional nanocomposites because of the simultaneous gains in thermal and mechanical properties. The best results of the multifunctional composites were strongly associated with the chemical modification of the GO by TEPA.     

Graphene oxide/epoxy composites with enhanced fracture toughness for liquid hydrogen storage

Graphene oxide (GO)/epoxy composites cured by aliphatic dibasic acids have been prepared. The influences of structure of aliphatic dibasic acid and loading of GO on curing process and mechanical properties of epoxy composites were studied. The results show that the reaction activities, gel time of corresponding epoxy-acid system and tensile strength of the formed epoxy resins decrease with the increase of the chain length of aliphatic dibasic acids. Both fracture toughness (>1.96 MPa⋅m^1/2) and elongations at break (>6%) increase with the increase of the chain length of aliphatic dibasic acids. The introduction of GO is helpful to increase the mechanical properties and the gas transmission coefficient of GO/epoxy composites. A maximum of tensile strength and elongations at break were obtained when the loading of GO is 0.6 wt%. The gas transmission coefficient of GO/epoxy composite increases with the increase of GO loading. The excellent mechanical properties and gas leakage resistance coefficient of the formed epoxy composites provides potential application in many fields where conventional brittle epoxy resins are inapplicable.     

Thermoelectrical and optical properties of double wall carbon nanotubes:polyaniline containing boron n‐type organic semiconductors

The electrical conductivity, thermoelectrical, and optical properties of the polyaniline containing boron/double wall carbon nanotubes (CNTs) composites have been investigated. The electrical conductivities of the composites prepared with 1%, 5%, and 8% CNT concentrations at 300 K were found to be 5.31 × 10^?6, 2.72 × 10^?4, and 1.12 × 10^?3 (S/cm), respectively. The thermoelectrical results indicate that all the samples exhibit n‐type electrical conductivity. The optical band gaps of the samples were found to be 3.71 eV for 0% DWNT, 3.32 eV for 1% DWNT, 3.15 eV for 5% DWNT, and 3.12 eV for 8% DWNT. The obtained results suggest that the electrical conductivity of PANI‐B polymer is improved by DWNT doping. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of fiber length and composition on mechanical properties of carbon fiber‐reinforced polybenzoxazine

The mechanical strength and modulus of chopped carbon fiber (CF)‐reinforced polybenzoxazine composites were investigated by changing the length of CFs. Tensile, compressive, and flexural properties were investigated. The void content was found to be higher for the short fiber composites. With increase in fiber length, tensile strength increased and optimized at around 17 mm fiber length whereas compressive strength exhibited a continuous diminution. The flexural strength too increased with fiber length and optimized at around 17 mm fiber length. The increase in strength of composites with fiber length is attributed to the enhancement in effective contact area of fibers with the matrix. The experimental results showed that there was about 350% increase in flexural strength and 470% increase in tensile strength of the composites with respect to the neat polybenzoxazine, while, compressive properties were adversely affected. The composites exhibited an optimum increase of about 800% in flexural modulus and 200% in tensile modulus. Enhancing the fiber length, leads to fiber entanglement in the composites, resulted in increased plastic deformation at higher strain. Multiple branch matrix shear, debonded fibers and voids were the failures visualized in the microscopic analyses. Defibrillation has been exhibited by all composites irrespective of fiber length. Fiber debonding and breaking were associated with short fibers whereas clustering and defibrillation were the major failure modes in long fiber composites. Increasing fiber loading improved the tensile and flexural properties until 50–60 wt% of fiber whereas the compressive property consistently decreased on fiber loading. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Three‐dimensional printing of poly(lactic acid) bio‐based composites with sugarcane bagasse fiber: Effect of printing orientation on tensile performance

The cellulose fiber was extracted from the abandoned crop sugarcane bagasse (SCB) by means of chemical treatment methods. Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) bio‐based composites with SCB were prepared through fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D‐printing technology, and the morphologies, mechanical properties, crystallization properties, and thermal stability of 3D‐printed composites were investigated. Compared with the neat PLA, the incorporation of SCB into PLA reduces the tensile strength and flexural strength of 3D‐printed samples but increases the flexural modulus. The difference in tensile performance and bending performance is that the tensile strength of 3D‐printed samples is best when the SCB content is 6 wt%, while the flexural modulus continuously decreases as the SCB content increases. Furthermore, the effects of various printing methods on the tensile performance of 3D‐printed samples were explored via modifying G‐code of 3D models. The results indicate that the optimum SCB fiber content is identical for all printing methods except method “vertical.” Due to the fibers and molecular chains are oriented to varying degrees with altering raster angle in 3D‐printed samples, the fully oriented sample printed by method “parallel” has a better tensile strength. Besides, SCB exhibits enough high thermal decomposition temperature to meet requirements for melt extrusion processing of PLA composites, and SCB fiber is capable of promoting the crystallization of PLA.     

Mechanical properties and fracture behaviors of C/C composites with PyC/TaC/PyC,PyC/SiC/TaC/PyC multi-interlayers

Carbon/carbon (C/C) composites with PyC/TaC/PyC or PyC/SiC/TaC/PyC multi-interlayers were prepared by isothermal chemical vapor infiltration, followed by Furan resin impregnation and carbonization. Microstructures, mechanical properties including flexural strength, ductile displacement, and fracture behaviors of composites were studied. Furthermore, composites were heat treated at 2000 °C to study the effects of heat treatment on mechanical properties and fracture behaviors. PyC/TaC/PyC and PyC/SiC/TaC/PyC multi-interlayers have been deposited uniformly in C/C composites. With the introduction of PyC/TaC/PyC multi-interlayers in C/C composites, the flexural strength decreases; however, the ductile displacement increases. The fracture behavior changes from brittleness (0% TaC) to pseudo-ductility (5% TaC) and high toughness (10% TaC). When PyC/SiC/TaC/PyC multi-interlayers are introduced in C/C composites, the flexural strength is improved remarkably from 270 MPa to 522 MPa, but the ductile displacement decreases obviously from 0.49 mm to 0.24 mm, and the fracture behavior becomes brittle again. After heat treatment at 2000 °C, the flexural strength decreases, but the ductile displacement increases and pseudo-ductility or high toughness can be obtained.     

Comparison of the properties of waterborne polyurethane/multiwalled carbon nanotube and acid‐treated multiwalled carbon nanotube composites prepared by in situ polymerization

A series of waterborne polyurethane (WBPU)/multiwalled carbon nanotube (CNT) and WBPU/nitric acid treated multiwalled carbon nanotube (A‐CNT) composites were prepared by in situ polymerization in an aqueous medium. The optimum nitric acid treatment time was about 0.5 h. The effects of the CNT and A‐CNT contents on the dynamic mechanical thermal properties, mechanical properties, hardness, electrical conductivity, and antistatic properties of the two kinds of composites were compared. The tensile strength and modulus, the glass‐transition temperatures of the soft and hard segments (T_gs and T_gh, respectively), and ΔT_g (T_gh − T_gs) of WBPU for both composites increased with increasing CNT and A‐CNT contents. However, these properties of the WBPU/A‐CNT composites were higher than those of the WBPU/CNT composites with the same CNT content. The electrical conductivities of the WBPU/CNT1.5 and WBPU/A‐CNT1.5 composites containing 1.5 wt % CNTs (8.0 × 10⁻⁴ and 1.1 × 10⁻³ S/cm) were nearly 8 and 9 orders of magnitude higher than that of WBPU (2.5 × 10⁻¹² S/cm), respectively. The half‐life of the electrostatic charge (τ_1/2) values of the WBPU/CNT0.1 and WBPU/A‐CNT0.1 composites containing 0.1 wt % CNTs were below 10 s, and the composites had good antistatic properties. From these results, A‐CNT was found to be a better reinforcer than CNT. These results suggest that WBPU/A‐CNT composites prepared by in situ polymerization have high potential as new materials for waterborne coatings with good physical, antistatic, and conductive properties. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 3973–3985, 2005