Morphology and properties of waterborne polyurethane/clay nanocomposites

Aqueous emulsion of polyurethane ionomers, based on poly(tetramethylene glycol) or poly(butylene adipate) as soft segment, isophorone diisocyanate as diisocyanate, 1,4-butandiol as chain extender, dimethyl propionic acid as potential ionic center, triethylene tetramine as crosslinker, and triethyl amine as neutralizer, were reinforced with organoclay to give nanocomposites. The particle size of emulsion was measured and the morphology of these nanocomposites was observed by transmission electron microscope, where the effectively intercalated or exfoliated organoclay was observed. The reinforcing effects of organoclay in mechanical properties of these nanocomposites were examined by dynamic mechanical and tensile tests, and the Shore A hardness was measured. Enhanced thermal and water resistance and marginal reduction in transparency of these nanocomposites were observed compared with pristine polymer.     

Synthesis of waterborne acrylic/clay nanocomposites by controlled surface initiation from macroinitiator modified montmorillonite

The nitroxide mediated controlled surface initiated polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA)/butyl acrylate (n-BA) was carried out with a macroinitiator modified montmorillonite. The macroinitiator was synthesized by the nitroxide mediated polymerization of vinylbenzyl trimethylammonium chloride (VBTMACl), methylmethacrylate (MMA) and styrene (S) at 90 °C using BlocBuilder®. The macroinitiator was exchanged with the sodium cations of the montmorillonite, to yield surface modified reactive montmorillonite. The bulk polymerizations of BA/MMA from the clay surface produced controlled molecular weight polymers that were able to exfoliate the clay. This controlled polymer/clay nanocomposite was used as masterbatch and further dispersed in monomers and miniemulsified to perform miniemulsion polymerization of BA/MMA (90/10 wt.%) at 30 wt.% solids content at low emulsifier concentration. The adhesive properties of the nanocomposites prepared with the masterbatch were proved to be better than those prepared with an organically modified clay.     

Thermal and viscoelastic properties of polyurethane-imide/clay hybrid coatings

This paper reports the synthesis and characterization of polyurethane (PU)-imide/clay hybrid coatings based on two types of polyester (PE) polyols (PE-1 and PE-2). PE-1 was prepared from neopentyl glycol (NPG), adipic acid (AA) and isophathalic acid (IPA), whereas PE-2 contains NPG, AA, IPA and TMP (trimethylol propane) with the same hydroxyl value 280 as PE-1. Cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) modified montmorillonite (K10) was used as the organoclay for the synthesis of the hybrid coatings. The organoclay particles (3 wt%) were well-dispersed into the PE matrix by ultrasonication method. Then the isocyanate terminated PU prepolymers were synthesized by the reaction of polyester polyols with hard segments such as 2,4-toluene diisocyanate (TDI) or isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) in different NCO/OH ratios e.g., 1.6:1, 2:1 and 3:1, respectively. Finally the thermally stable imide rings were incorporated into the PU backbone by complete reaction of excess NCO content present in the PU prepolymer with pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA). The thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) shows a higher thermal stability for the PU-imide hybrid coatings with respect to the corresponding PU-imide films. A higher NCO/OH ratio has resulted in higher thermal stability. The activation energies of degradation were calculated by the Broido and Coats-Redfern methods, respectively. The dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) results show an enhancement in the glass transition temperature value (T_g) for the clay containing hybrid coatings. The surface analysis by angle resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (AR-XPS) showed an enrichment of the soft segment towards the surface, and an enhancement in the hard segment composition in the hybrid coatings, resulted in phase mixing.     

Thermal properties from membrane of polyamide 6/montmorillonite clay nanocomposites obtained by immersion precipitation method

The aim of this work was to obtain membranes from polyamide 6/montmorillonite clay nanocomposites through the phase inversion technique. The nanocomposites and membranes from polyamide 6/montmorillonite clay were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Thermogravimetry (TG) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). Microporous and asymmetric membranes were successfully obtained from nanocomposites and the results showed that the salts were incorporated by intercalation between the organoclay layers and, apparently that the nanocomposites and membranes were thermally more stable than the pure polyamide.     

Hydrogen bonding,mechanical properties,and surface morphology of clay/waterborne polyurethane nanocomposites

A novel clay/waterborne polyurethane (WPU) nanocomposite was synthesized from polyurethane and saponite organoclay. The clay was organically modified with various swelling agents, the effect of which has been investigated. Hydrogen bonding between organic and inorganic materials was characterized with Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The results implied that hydrogen bonding increased when organoclay was added. Mechanical and wear property studies revealed that introducing clay into waterborne polyurethane will enhance the Young's modulus (from 56 to 126 MPa), the maximum stress (from 3.9 to 7.6 MPa), and the elongation at break (from 27.7 to 58.7%) of the nanocomposite by a factor of two, whereas the wear loss will be only one third of the neat waterborne polyurethane. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to analyze the surface morphology of the nanocomposite. An AFM microphotograph showed that the surface of the clay/waterborne polyurethane nanocomposite was smoother when clay was added in waterborne polyurethane. The average roughness (R_a) decreased from 1.00 to 0.12. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 43: 1–12, 2005     

Thermal stability and oxygen resistance of polypropylene composites with fullerene/montmorillonite hybrid fillers

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - Silane coupling agent (KH-550) was used to connect fullerene (C60) with montmorillonite (MMT) to prepare C60-decorated MMT hybrid (C60-Si-MMT), and the...     

The rheological and colloidal properties of bentonite dispersions in the presence of organic compounds III. The effect of alcohols on the coagulation of sodium montmorillonite

The critical coagulation concentration,c _K, of sodium chloride for sodium montmorillonite dispersed in water (solid content 0.025 percent) is 8 mmol/L. It remains virtually constant (7.5–8.5 mmol/L) in water-rich alcohol mixtures (below 50% (v/v) methanol and 40% ethanol and propanol). At higher alcohol contents thec _K decreases to 3.6 mmol/L (70 percent methanol), 1.2 mmol/L (70 percent ethanol), and 0.8 mmol/L (60 percent propanol). In the presence of 10^–4 M sodium diphosphate thec _K in water rises to 195 mmol/L. In contrast to the behavior in the absence of diphosphate, even small amounts of alcohol reduce the critical coagulation concentration. In 70% methanol thec _K is 7.5 mmol/L, in 70 percent ethanol 2.5 mmol/L and in 60% propanol 5 mmol/L. The main mechanism is coagulation by contacts between negatively charged edges and faces.At high alcohol contents montmorillonite-alcohol complexes (interlayer solvates) are formed and the colloidal dispersions become unstable even in the absence of salt. Transition from the state with diffuse ionic layers into the quasi-crystalline structure of the interlayer solvates is also evident from the sediment volume which changes with the alcohol content. Maxima are observed which are indicative of band-type structures as intermediate states between the colloidally dispersed particles with repulsive interaction and the discrete particles of the montmorillonite-alcohol complexes.     

Synthesis of a novel benzoxazine monomer‐intercalated montmorillonite and the curing kinetics of polybenzoxazine/clay hybrid nanocomposites

Polybenzoxazine (PBZ), which has a structure similar to that of phenolic resin, is formed through the thermal self‐curing of benzoxazine, that is through a heterocyclic ring opening reaction that requires no catalyst and releases no condensation byproducts. We have used the solvent blending method to prepare PBZ/clay nanocomposites possessing various clay contents. We synthesized a monofunctional benzoxazine monomer (MBM) and then treated the clay with this intercalation agent. The results of X‐ray diffraction (XRD) analysis indicated that MBM intercalated into the galleries of the clay; the nanocomposite possessed an exfoliated structure at 3% clay content. To better understand the curing kinetics of the PBZ/clay nanocomposites, we performed dynamic and isothermal differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements. We describe the thermodynamics of the curing process, using all three of the Kissinger, Ozawa, and Kamal models. The Kissinger and Ozawa methods gave fairly close results for the calculated activation energies, which decreased upon increasing the clay content. The Kamal method, based on an autocatalytic model, suggested a total reaction order of between 2.4 and 2.8. The glass transition temperature (T_g) decreased upon increasing the clay content. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) indicated that the nanocomposites have higher decomposition temperatures than does the pristine PBZ; this finding suggests an enhancement in their thermal stability. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 347–358, 2006     

Morphology and properties of polypropylene/ethylene–octene copolymer/clay nanocomposites with double compatibilizers

The influence of nanoclay on the morphology and properties of the polypropylene (PP)/ethylene–octene block copolymer (EOC) blend with double compatibilizers of maleated PP (PP‐g‐MA) and maleated EOC (EOC‐g‐MA) was investigated and compared with the nanocomposites containing either PP‐g‐MA or EOC‐g‐MA as a compatibilizer. X‐ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy were utilized for morphological characterization in conjunction with dynamic mechanical thermal analysis, mechanical testing, and rheological evaluation of these nanocomposites. The results suggested that in the nanocomposite including both compatibilizers of PP‐g‐MA and EOC‐g‐MA, clay was dispersed as a mixed structure of intercalation and exfoliation in both phases of the polymer blend. Comparing the mechanical properties of the studied nanocomposite with nanocomposites of PP/EOC/PP‐g‐MA/clay and PP/EOC/EOC‐g‐MA/clay also indicated that the nanocomposite containing mixed compatibilizers displayed higher tensile modulus, tensile strength, and complex viscosity because of the better dispersion of clay in both phases. The results also confirmed the increased structural stability and reduced dispersed phase size of PP/EOC/PP‐g‐MA/EOC‐g‐MA blend in the presence of clay that proposed the compatibilization role of clay in this nanocomposite. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Morphology and mechanical properties of immiscible polyethylene/polyamide12 blends prepared by high shear processing

In this work,completely immiscible polyethylene/polyamidel2 (PE/PA12) blends were prepared by high shear extruder.The morphology and mechanical properties of the blends were investigated as a function of rotation speed.It wasfound that the high shear processing is an effective method to improve the dispersion of the PAl2 phase in PE matrix whenPAl2 contents are 5 wt％ and 10 wt％,and the dispersed phase particle size is reduced with the increase of rotation speed from 100 r/min to 500 r/min.However,with further increase of PAl2 content to 20 wt％,high shear processing has no effect on the phase morphology of the blends.Accordingly,a largely increased elongation at break and impact strength are observed for PE/PA12/95/5 and PE/PA12/90/10 blends obtained at high rotation speeds but no effect on the property of PE/PA12/80/20.Annealing experiment demonstrated that the obtained phase morphology is not stable thus compatibilizer should be introduced in the future work.This work could provide a guideline for the application of high shear processing in the preparation of polymer blends with huge polarity difference.     

Studies of sodium humate/polyacrylamide/clay hybrid hydrogels. I. Swelling and rheological properties of hydrogels

A type of novel hybrid hydrogels from sodium humate (SH), polyacrylamide (PAM), and hydrophilic Laponite clay were prepared using potassium persulfate (KPS) as the initiator and N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) as the cross-linker. The structures of the hydrogels were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscope and FTIR. Their swelling properties, swelling mechanism and rheological properties were also investigated. Experiments show that the composite is heterogeneous in the PAM/SH hydrogel system, while the clay collaborates with SH and improves the network structure of PAM/SH/clay hydrogel. High water-absorbing capability is shown for both hydrogel systems. Han plot proves that clay and SH are compatible with PAM for PAM/SH/clay hydrogels.     

Preparation and properties of epoxy/amine hybrid resins from in situ polymerization

Homogeneous and transparent epoxy/amine hybrid resins were successfully obtained through the in situ curing of bisphenol A epoxy and hexakis(methoxymethyl)melamine with 2 wt % (3‐glycidoxypropyl)trimethoxysilane as a facial coupling agent. The hybrid resins showed good miscibility, high glass‐transition temperatures, good thermooxidative stability, and good flame retardance. The outstanding properties of the hybrid resins may lead to their use in high‐performance green electronic products. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 1868–1875, 2004     

Preparation and properties of a fullerene/polysiloxane hybrid from chemically modified fullerene and polymethoxysiloxane

An organic–inorganic hybrid was prepared by simply mixing a fullerene derivative with polymethoxysiloxane. First, C₆₀ was subjected to a radical addition reaction with 4,4′-azobis(4-cyanovaleric acid) to provide a C₆₀ derivative. Polymethoxysiloxane was prepared by a controlled hydrolytic condensation of tetramethoxysilane. These two compounds were mixed and heated to provide hybrid bulk body. The hybrid bulk body showed high mechanical strength and elastic modulus compared with polymethoxysiloxane or the C₆₀/polymethoxysiloxane hybrid. The formation of a dense siloxane network was established by a homogeneous mixing of the C₆₀ derivative with polymethoxysiloxane.     

Morphology and mechanical properties of poly(vinyl alcohol) and starch blends prepared by gelation/crystallization from solutions

 In an attempt to produce biodegradation materials, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)–starch (ST) blends were prepared by gelation/crystallization from semidilute solutions in dimethyl sulfoxide (Me₂SO) and water mixtures and elongated up to 8 times. The content of mixed solvent represented as Me₂SO/H₂O (volume percent) was set to be 60/40 assuring the greatest drawability of PVA homopolymer films. The PVA/ST compositions chosen were 1/1, 1/3, and 1/5. The elongation up to 8 times could be done for the 1/1 blend but any elongation was impossible for blends whose ST content was beyond 50%. When the blends were immersed in water at 20 or 83 °C, the solubility became considerable for an undrawn blend with 1/5 composition and a drawn 1/1 blend with λ=8. To avoid this phenomenon, cross-linking of PVA chains was carried out by formalization under formaldehyde vapor. Significant improvement could be established by the cross-linking of PVA chains. For the 1/1 blend, the amount of ST dissolved in water at 23 °C was less than 3% for the undrawn state and 25% for the drawn film. The decrease in the ST content was enough for use as biodegradation materials. Namely, the water content relating to the biodegradation in soil is obviously different from such a serious experimental condition that a piece of blend film was immersed in a water bath. At temperatures above 0 °C, the storage modulus of the formalization blends became slightly higher than those of the nonformalization blends. The Young's modulus of the drawn films with a draw ratio of 8 times was 2 GPa at 20 °C. Received: 23 June 2000 Accepted: 30 October 2000     

Thermomechanical properties and phase structure of epoxy/silica nano‐hybrid materials constructed from a linear silicone oligomer

Epoxy‐grafted silicone oligomer (ESO), which has a linear silicone chain in the backbone moiety, was synthesized from a trifunctional alkoxysilane via a sol–gel reaction. Characterization of ESO was performed with ¹H and ²⁹Si NMR, Fourier transform infrared, and gel permeation chromatography. The number‐average molecular weight of ESO was 3300. By adding the silicone oligomer as the inorganic source in the curing process of the epoxy resin, novel epoxy/silica hybrid materials were prepared. It was observed by transmission electron microscope that fine silica‐rich domains of about 5‐nm diameter were uniformly dispersed in the cured epoxy matrix. Thermomechanical properties of the hybrid materials were also investigated. The storage modulus in the rubbery region and the peak area of the tan δ curve at the glass‐transition region increased and decreased, respectively, with the hybridization of the silica network. The mobility of the epoxy network chains should be considerably suppressed by the hybridization with the silica network. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 43: 1631–1639, 2005     

Structure, bonding and physical properties of tetragonal and orthorhombic SiS2 from (hybrid) DFT calculations

The energetics, structure and physical properties of tetragonal and orthorhombic SiS₂ were calculated by periodic density functional theory (DFT) calculations, using both localized orbital and projected augmented wave basis-sets. All methods applied agree upon the relative energies of the different polymorphs but show differences in the predicted geometries, which are minimized upon improving the basis-set quality. The hybrid PBE0 functional was found to give the best match between experimental and calculated structures. When comparing SiS₂ with its much better studied oxide analog silica, we observe that upon substituting sulphur for oxygen, the energy landscape changes dramatically. Other effects of changing S for O are found to be smaller Si-X-Si angles, a broader distribution of X-Si-X angles, a more flexible framework and a significantly reduced band gap. The latter is in line with the experimental observation of photoluminescence in related GaGeS₂ compounds and suggests that SiS₂ might find application in UV light emitting diodes. Finally, a comparison of the maximally localized Wannier functions demonstrates that the Si-S bonds in SiS₂ have a considerably more covalent character than the Si-O bonds in silica.