Synthesis and characterization of elastomeric polyurethane/clay nanocomposites

A novel elastomeric polyurethane/clay (PU/Clay) nanocomposite based on poly(propylene glycol), glycerol propoxylate and toluene-diisocyanate were synthesized by intercalative polymerization technology. The results of X-ray diffraction study showed that the gallery distance of the clay was enlarged from 1.9 nm to 4.5 nm or more, Introducing about 7.5 wt% clay in the composites resulted in more than two-fold increase in the tensile strength and five-fold increase in the elongation at break as compared to those of the pure PU. Additionally, the thermal stability of the PU/Clay nanocomposites was also studied by TGA analysis. The thermal stability of the nanocomposites was increased slightly in comparing with the pure PU.