Synthesis of polyether-based polyurethane-silica nanocomposites with high elongation property

The NCO-terminated prepolymers, prepared by reacting a mixture of poly(tetramethylene glycol) and fumed nanosilica with 4,4'-diphenylmethane diisocyanate, were chain-extended with 1,4-butanediol to yield polyurethane-silica nanocomposites. The nanosilica particles were well dispersed in the polyurethane matrix up to 3wt%. The polyurethane chains in the interfaces were covalently linked to the nanosilica surfaces through urethane bonds. Introduction of the nanosilica into the polyurethane enhanced both tensile strength and elongation of the resulting nanocomposite films. Especially, the elongation at break of the nanocomposite films containing 1 wt% nanosilica was 3.5 times greater than that of the pure polyurethane films. Copyright (c) 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.