Synthesis and thermal properties of antimony doped tin oxide/waterborne polyurethane nanocomposite films as heat insulating materials

The waterborne polyurethane (WPU) was synthesized from the polycondensation between isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) and polyoxypropylene glycol (N‐210) and then dispersed into water. Subsequently, the WPU emulsion was modified with antimony doped tin oxide (ATO) nanoparticle by ultrasonic dispersion. The ATO/WPU emulsion was cast onto Teflon molds. After being dried, ATO/WPU films were prepared. TEM indicated that the ATO nanoparticles were homogeneously dispersed in the polymer matrix at the nanometer scale. DSC showed that the ATO/WPU nanocomposites displayed increased glass transition temperatures compared to the control WPU. The mechanical properties of the films were characterized by dynamic‐mechanical analysis (DMA). The higher glass transition temperature and storage modulus indicates the superior mechanical properties of WPU modified by ATO nanoparticles over the conventional unmodified WPU. The thermal behaviors of the films were evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). It could be found that the incorporation of ATO into WPU can improve the thermal stability dramatically. The results from UV–visible–near infrared spectra indicated that the ATO/WPU films could decrease the infrared transmission effectively. The heat‐insulation measurements showed that glass coated with ATO/WPU films possessed better heat‐insulating effect than empty glass. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Self-assembled fabrication and flame-retardant properties of reduced graphene oxide/waterborne polyurethane nanocomposites

The graphite oxide (GO) was prepared from expandable graphite by the pressurized oxidation method, and samples were characterized using XRD, UV–Vis, and TEM. GO is reduced in situ emulsion using hydrazine to achieve reduced graphene oxide/waterborne polyurethane (rGO/WPU) nanocomposites. The effect of rGO content on the stability, fracture morphologies, mechanical performance, thermal degradation, and flame-retardant properties of rGO/WPU composites was investigated by zeta potential analyzer, TEM, SEM, universal testing machine, TG, and Cone Calorimeter. The results of zeta potential, TEM, and SEM analysis indicate that rGO has a good stability and dispersibility in rGO/WPU nanocomposites. The results of mechanical tests showed that the mechanical properties of rGO/WPU nanocomposites increased consistently with increasing rGO content up to 2 mass%, and TG showed that the thermostability of rGO/WPU nanocomposites decreased slightly compared to pure WPU, but carbon residue increased from 0.99 to 1.99 % when the mass fraction of rGO in WPU is 2 %. Cone Calorimeter test indicated that the flame-retardant and smoke suppression properties of rGO/WPU composites showed significant improvement compared to the WPU alone. When the mass fraction of rGO is 1 %, the total smoke release and smoke factor decreased by 25 and 38 %, respectively, compared to those of pure WPU.     

Preparation and characterization of waterborne polyurethane/attapulgite nanocomposites

In this paper, waterbrone polyurethane (WPU)/attapulgite (AT) nanocomposites have been prepared by direct emulsion blending. The WPU was synthesized from poly(tetramethylene glycol), 4,4-diphenylmethane diisocyanate, dimethylol butanic acid, and neutralized by triethylamine. SEM examination of fractured surfaces showed that AT particles were irregularly dispersed in the WPU matrix. FTIR analysis suggested no major chemical structural changed in the presence of a small amount of AT. DMA results showed that the storage modulus of WPU/AT nanocomposites was increased and the glass transition temperatures of both soft and hard segments shifted to higher temperature compared to the pristine WPU. Thermal resistance of the samples measured by TGA was improved with the addition of AT. The mechanical properties of the nanocomposites, examined by tensile tests, showed higher tensile strength and elongation at break than that of the pristine WPU.     

Recent Progress in the Synthesis and Property Enhancement of Waterborne Polyurethane Nanocomposites: Promising and Versatile Macromolecules for Advanced Applications

Abstract

Waterborne polyurethanes (WPUs), owing to their environmental friendliness and non-flammability, are considered as a green class of materials for a wide spectrum of applications, like adhesives, coatings, drug delivery, and tissue engineering. However, to strengthen their thermal stability, water resistance, mechanical properties, and introduce new peculiarities to these polymers, the incorporation of different types of (nano) fillers within their molecular state, emerged novel opportunities and challenges in material sciences. This approach provides new vitality to these materials since the strong interactions between WPU matrices and fillers facilitate the formation of desired WPU composites (WPUCs). Therefore, WPUCs have greatly promoted the construction and designing of novel materials, like hyperbranched WPUs and their nanocomposites. Thus, the aim of the present article is to deeply overview the properties and application of WPUCs in the various realm. The review also provides a brief discussion on the design and synthesis of WPUs, WPUCs, hyperbranched WPUs, and their nanocomposites along with the implementation of naturally derived materials for the development of sustainable WPUCs.     

Chemical hybridization of imidized waterborne polyurethane with silica particle

Chemical hybrids of imidized waterborne polyurethane (WPU) with silica nanoparticle were synthesized by UV cure. Imide groups were introduced into the hard segment of UV curable WPU by extending the NCO-terminated prepolymers with pyromellitic dianhydride where chemical hybridization by UV cure was made between the acrylate-terminated polyurethane prepolymer and vinyltrimethoxysilane-silica oligomer. It was found that imidization of WPU and imidized WPU-silica hybrids showed remarkably high mechanical and dynamic mechanical properties at room and elevated temperatures as well as thermal stability.     

Monocomponent Waterborne Polyurethane Adhesives: Influence of the Crosslinking Agent on Their Properties

To improve the properties of the monocomponent waterborne polyurethane (WPU) adhesives, a series of crosslinked WPU were prepared with trifunctional polyester polyol (P210) as crosslinking agent. The crosslinked WPU dispersions and their films were characterized by conventional methods. The adhesion property of the samples was measured from T-peel test of leather/WPU adhesive/leather joints. Compared with the linear one, the crosslinked WPU exhibited low viscosity, small particle size, and low surface tension. For crosslinked films, the thermal stability, water resistance and mechanical properties were remarkably enhanced. The experimental data of T-peel test indicated that the adhesive strength significantly increased to 4.8 KN/m by crosslinking up to the optimum crosslink index of 1.2 and then showed a small decrease with excess.     

Tailoring the morphology and properties of waterborne polyurethanes by the procedure of cellulose nanocrystal incorporation

Polyurethane waterborne synthesis was performed using a two-step method, commonly referred to as a prepolymer method. Nanocomposites based on waterborne polyurethane and cellulose nanocrystals were prepared by the prepolymer method by altering the mode and step in which the nanofillers were incorporated during the polyurethane formation. The morphology, structural, thermal, and mechanical properties of the resulting nanocomposite films were evaluated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and tensile tests. FTIR results indicated that the degree of interaction between the nanofillers and the WPU through hydrogen bonds could be controlled by the method of cellulose nanocrystal incorporation. Data obtained from SAXS experiments showed that the cellulose nanocrystals as well as the step of the reaction in which they are added influenced the morphology of the polyurethane. The reinforcing effect of CNCs on the nanocomposites depends on their morphology.     

水性聚氨酯阻燃纳米复合材料的Click反应制备及性能

以4,4'-二羟甲基-1,4-庚二炔功能单体作为扩链剂制备了端炔基功能化聚氨酯, 与叠氮基改性纳米蒙脱土(MMT-N₃)、 纳米氢氧化铝(ATH-N₃)和纳米氢氧化镁(MH-N₃)通过Click反应制备了水性聚氨酯(WPU)阻燃纳米复合材料. 采用红外光谱(FTIR)、 核磁氢谱(¹H NMR)和扫描电子显微镜(SEM)对WPU阻燃纳米复合材料的结构进行了表征, 对比研究了纳米阻燃剂配比和制备方法对WPU阻燃纳米复合材料的氧指数、 动态燃烧行为和热稳定性的影响. 阻燃性能研究结果表明, 当MMT-N₃, MH-N₃和ATH-N₃的质量分数分别为7%, 2%和1%时, 采用Click反应制备的复合材料的氧指数比纯WPU高7%, 点燃时间从10 s延长到29 s, 峰值热释放速率和烟释放速率分别降低了41%和42%. 热失重分析结果表明, 当MMT-N₃质量分数为10%时, 与WPU相比, 采用Click反应制备的MMT/WPU复合材料在热失重50%时的温度提高了21 ℃. 复合材料断面和燃烧后残渣的SEM分析证明在聚合物基体中Click反应是分散纳米材料的一种有效方法.     

Preparation and Characterization of Nanocomposite Films from Chitin Whisker and Waterborne Poly(ester-urethane) With or Without Ultra-Sonification Treatment

Two series of nanocomposite films were prepared from waterborne poly(ester-urethane) and chitin whisker with and without ultrasound treatment coded as CW/WPU and CHW/WPU, respectively. The effects of ultra-sonification method and chitin whisker content on the chemical compositions, crystallization behavior and miscibility were studied by attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR), wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WXRD), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Thermal stability and mechanical properties of the films were measured by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and tensile test, respectively. The results revealed that both nanocomposite films exhibited a certain degree of miscibility when chitin whisker content was lower than 30 wt%, resulting in higher thermal stability and tensile strength than the pure waterborne poly(ester-urethane) film. Interestingly, the composite films CW/WPU with ultrasound treatment possessed better miscibility, storage modulus, thermal stability and tensile strength than those without ultrasound treatment over the entire composition range studied here. The difference can be attributed to the relatively higher dispersion level of whisker within poly(ester-urethane) matrix resulting in relatively stronger entanglement and interaction between both components. The ultrasound treatment can effectively improve the miscibility and mechanical properties of the casting nanocomposite films with nano-meter size chitin whisker added. This indicated that the structure, miscibility and mechanical properties of the nanocomposite films depended significantly on the preparation method.     

基于CuAAC反应链间自交联有机-无机杂化水性聚氨酯的合成及性能

利用4,4’-二羟甲基-1,4-庚二炔功能单体作为扩链剂合成了一系列炔基接枝量不同的水性聚氨酯（WPU）,然后基于铜催化的叠氮-炔基环加成（CuAAC）反应,采用3-叠氮基丙基三乙氧基硅烷（APTES-N₃）改性炔基功能化WPU,制备了室温链间自交联有机-无机杂化WPU. 采用红外光谱（FTIR）和核磁氢谱（¹H NMR）表征了自交联有机-无机杂化WPU. 探讨了APTES-N₃接枝量对WPU膜性能和WPU乳液形态的影响. 结果表明,随着APTES-N₃含量增加,WPU膜的结晶性逐渐下降;耐水性、耐溶剂性和热稳定性逐渐增强;WPU乳液粒子黏连程度增加. 当APTES-N₃质量分数从0增大到12%时,WPU膜的拉伸强度从14.3 MPa增加到28.6 MPa.     

氧化钛/氧化石墨纳米复合材料的制备、表征及性能

采用四氯化钛(TiCl₄)和氧化石墨为主要原料, 通过原位复合的方法制备了氧化钛/氧化石墨(TiO₂/GO)纳米复合材料. 采用傅里叶变换红外(FTIR)光谱仪、X射线衍射(XRD)仪、热重-差热分析(TG-DTA)仪、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)、透射电子显微镜(TEM)和扫描电子显微镜(SEM)等手段研究了TiO₂/GO纳米复合材料的结构和性能. 结果表明, 石墨在氧化过程中结构层键合大量含氧官能团, 部分含氧官能团进一步与纳米TiO₂以化学键结合; 复合后氧化石墨原有衍射峰消失. 将TiO₂/GO添加到水性聚氨酯(WPU)中, 制备了TiO₂/GO-WPU复合涂膜. 紫外吸收光谱表明, 随着氧化石墨含量的增加, 复合涂膜的紫外吸收能力增强, 当GO含量达到一定数值时, 涂膜的紫外吸收最强, 随着GO含量继续增加吸收又呈下降趋势, 存在一较优浓度值. TiO₂/GO的添加显著提高了聚氨酯涂层的抗紫外线性能, 耐磨损性能和热稳定性能.     

Preparation,Characterization, and Property Analysis of Environmentally Friendly Waterborne Polyurethane-Acrylate

Waterborne polyurethane (WPU) prepolymer was first prepared based on isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI), polyether polyol (NJ-210), dimethylol propionic acid (DMPA), and hydroxyethyl methyl acrylate (HEMA) via an in situ method. A series of waterborne polyurethane-acrylate (WPUA) dispersions were obtained with different proportions of acrylate (butyl acryolate and ethyl acrylate) and initiating agent by in situ dispersion technique. The structures and thermal properties of prepared WPU and WPUA were analyzed and characterized with FT-IR, UV-vis spectroscopy, and DSC. Performance of the emulsion and film was studied by means of apparent viscosity, particle size and polydispersity, surface tension, and mechanical properties. The results indicated that the particle sizes of the WPUA dispersions were larger than those of the pure WPU and the solvent resistance and mechanical properties of WPUA films were improved over those of the WPU film. The film had the greatest hardness and the least water absorption when the BA:EA mass ratio was 50:50. The obtained WPUAs have great potential application such as coatings, leather finishing, adhesives, sealants, plastic coatings, and wood finishes.     

Effect of electrostatic heterocoagulation of PVM/MA grafted carbon black and attapulgite nanorods on electrical and mechanical behaviors of waterborne polyurethane nanocomposites

In our previous report, poly(methyl vinyl ether-alt-maleic anhydride) grafted CB (GCB) with stable dispersion in water was successfully prepared. In the present study, waterborne polyurethane (WPU) nanocomposites including GCB and attapulgite (ATT) were prepared by liquid mixing method. Anionically charged GCB nanoparticles were heterocoagulated on the surface of cationically charged ATT nanorods at low pH value and improved the stabilization of ATT nanorods in water as a dispersing aid. The microstructure development in matrix that depended on various weight ratios of the nanoparticles ultimately influenced the electrical conductivity and mechanical properties of WPU nanocomposites. Composites containing equal concentrations of GCB and ATT showed reduced electrical conductivity, but significant increase in storage modulus. When the weight ratio of GCB to ATT was 5:1, both electrical conductivity and storage modulus of composite were improved simultaneously. The percolation threshold of composites containing a 5:1 (w/w) GCB/ATT ratio was lower than that of composites with GCB alone. The proposed mechanism for the effect of GCB and ATT on electrical or mechanical behaviors in composite was discussed in details. The clear evidence of microstructure development was also observed by transmission electron microscope.     

Effects of flower-like ZnO nanowhiskers on the mechanical, thermal and antibacterial properties of waterborne polyurethane

A novel waterborne polyurethane/flower-like ZnO nanowhiskers (WPU/f-ZnO) composite with different f-ZnO content (0-4.0 wt%) was synthesized by an in-situ copolymerization process. The f-ZnO consisting of uniform nanorods was prepared via a simple hydrothermal method. In order to disperse and incorporate f-ZnO into WPU matrix, f-ZnO was modified with γ-aminopropyltriethoxysilane. Morphology of f-ZnO in WPU matrix was characterized by scanning electron microscope. The properties of WPU/f-ZnO composites such as mechanical strength, thermal stability as well as water swelling were strongly influenced by the f-ZnO contents. It was demonstrated that appropriate amount of f-ZnO with good dispersion in the WPU matrix significantly improved the performance of the composites. The mechanical property was enhanced with an increase of f-ZnO content up to the optimum content (1 wt%) and then declined. Incorporation of f-ZnO enhanced the water resistance of the composites remarkably. It was amazing to observe that the thermal degradation temperatures of the composites initially decreased significantly and then leveled off with content increase of f-ZnO, which was different from the results of other WPU composite systems reported. Antibacterial activity of WPU/f-ZnO composite films against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus was also tested. The results revealed that the antibacterial activity enhanced with the increasing f-ZnO content, and the best antibacterial activity was obtained at the loading level of 4.0 wt% f-ZnO.     

Fabrication of functional waterborne polyurethane/montmorillonite composites by click chemistry method

"Click" chemistry method was used to fabricate novel waterborne polyurethane (WPU)/montmorillonite (MMT) composites based on alkyne-containing WPU and azide-modified montmorillonite. The morphology of these composites was characterized by x-ray diffractometer, scanning electron microscope. The mechanical properties, thermal stability, and flame resistance of the composites were investigated by tensile, thermogravimetry and cone calorimetric experiments, etc. The experimental results show that the tensile strength, water resistance and flame retardancy of the WPU/MMT composites have been reinforced efficiently owing to the linking of MMT by click reaction.     

Functionalization of graphene oxide with different diisocyanates and their use as a reinforcement in waterborne polyurethane composites

Abstract

To examine the reinforcing effects of isocyanated graphene oxide (NCO-GO) on a waterborne polyurethane matrix, the surface of GO was respectively modified by isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI), hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) and toluene diisocyanates (TDI) and then confirmed by FT-IR, Raman, TGA, XRD, TEM, AFM and SEM-EDS. The dispersity behavior between different NCO-GO and polymer was evaluated by FESEM and XRD. The nanocomposites’ chemical structure, emulsion morphology, hydrophobicity, thermal and mechanical properties were investigated by FT-IR, TEM, TGA, tensile testing machine and water contact angle test, respectively. It was shown that these properties of nanocomposites including tensile strength, initial thermal degradation and hydrophobicity were increased by the incorporation of NCO-GO, in which, particularly, the tensile stress and initial degradation temperature were respectively increased from 13.32 to 18.80?Mpa and 249 to 288?°C after the addition of TDI-GO. These superior reinforcing effects were attributed to the two-dimensional structure of NCO-GO as well as the good interfacial adhesion between the NCO-GO and WPU matrix.     

Preparation and characterization of poly(propylene carbonate)/montmorillonite nanocomposites by solution intercalation

Poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC) is a new biodegradable aliphatic polycarbonate. However, the poor thermal stability and low glass transition temperatures (T_g) have limited its applications. To improve the thermal properties of PPC, organophilic montmorillonite (OMMT) was mixed with PPC by a solution intercalation method to produce nanocomposites. An intercalated-and-flocculated structure of PPC/OMMT nanocomposites was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The thermal and mechanical properties of PPC/OMMT nanocomposites were investigated by thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetric (DSC), and electronic tensile tester. Due to the nanometer-sized dispersion of layered silicate in polymer matrix, PPC/OMMT nanocomposites exhibit improved thermal and mechanical properties than pure PPC. When the OMMT content is 4 wt%, the PPC/OMMT nanocomposite shows the best thermal and mechanical properties. These results indicate that nanocomposition is an efficient and convenient method to improve the properties of PPC.     

Mechanical,thermal and barrier properties of pectin/cellulose nanocrystal nanocomposite films and their effect on the storability of strawberries (Fragaria ananassa)

In this work, two formulations of pectin/cellulose nanocrystals/glycerol nanocomposites were employed as packaging to extend storage life of strawberries. The effects of incorporating cellulose nanocrystals extracted from bleached Kraft wood pulp on the mechanical, thermal, and barrier properties of pectin‐based nanocomposites were evaluated. Nanocomposite films with different filler levels of cellulose nanocrystals (1, 2, 4 and 8% w/w) were prepared by casting. Compared with the neat film of pectin, improvements in the mechanical properties of the nanocomposites were observed, but these films became fragile. To improve the film flexibility, glycerol was added as a plasticizer and then new variations in the mechanical, thermal, and barrier properties of these nanocomposites were evaluated. The effects of nanocomposite films on storability of strawberries were compared with Poly vinyl chloride packaging films. The Poly vinyl chloride film and the nanocomposites showed similar behavior regarding weight loss by the strawberries, especially in the initial days of storage. The results show that pectin/cellulose nanocrystals/glycerol nanocomposites could be considered as a viable packaging alternative for replaced the Poly vinyl cloride film. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Physical characteristics and properties of waterborne polyurethane materials reinforced with silk fibroin powder

Degummed silk filament was pulverized with a home‐made machine to obtain silk fibroin (SF) powder, and the structure, morphology, and particle size of the SF powder were investigated. The individual spherical particles and aggregates with different morphology of silk fibroin coexisted in water. A waterborne polyurethane (WPU) aqueous dispersion was blended with the SF powder to prepare novel blended materials with improved physical properties. The average particle size and zeta potential of the WPU/SF aqueous dispersions were characterized. The result showed that the WPU/SF dispersion with higher SF content exhibited a less negative zeta potential and a larger average particle size. Furthermore, the effect of SF content on the morphology, miscibility, and mechanical properties of the resulting blended films was studied by scanning electron microscopy, wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction, dynamic mechanical thermal analysis, and tensile testing. The films showed an improved Young's modulus and tensile strength from 0.3 to 33.8 MPa, and 0.6 to 5.2 MPa, respectively, with the increasing of SF up to a content of 26 wt %. The negative charges in the periphery and the small particle size made a good effort on dispersing SF powder into the WPU matrix as small aggregates, and the SF powder led to the efficient strengthening of WPU materials. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 48: 940–950, 2010     

Hydrogen‐bonding,crystallinity, and morphological properties of poly(silicic acid)/waterborne polyurethane nanocomposites

Unique nanocomposites consisting of poly(silicic acid) nanoparticles (PNs) and waterborne polyurethane (WPU) were prepared. The aliphatic WPU prepared in this study was end‐capped with a silanol group, which could react with PNs via a sol–gel process. PNs were modified with phenyltrimethoxysilane (PTMS) and 3‐(trimethoxysilyl)propyl ester (TMPE) and then blended with WPU. The structure–property relationships were examined. Solid‐state ²⁹Si NMR spectra of WPU showed that structures T₁, T₂, and T₃ of WPU decreased and structures Q₃ and Q₄ of PN/WPU nanocomposites increased gradually. When the PN concentration increased to 10 wt %, PN/WPU nanocomposites exhibited the maximum fraction of hydrogen‐bonded carbonyl groups. In the PTMS–PN and TMPE–PN systems, the fraction of hydrogen‐bonded carbonyl groups fluctuated stably when the concentrations of PTMS–PN and TMPS–PN exceeded 5 wt %. The X‐ray diffraction results revealed that α‐form, γ‐form, or triclinic crystallization could be found in the WPU matrix. A differential scanning calorimetry spectrum showed that the crystalline structure of the hard segment of WPU was influenced by the nanoparticle concentration. The degrees of crystallinity were 88% for the PN/WPU nanocomposites, 41% for the PTMS–PN/WPU nanocomposites, and 54% for the TMPE–PN/WPU nanocomposites when the PN, PTMS–PN, and TMPE–PN concentrations were 5 wt %. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 43: 1076–1089, 2005