Preparation and properties of polyurethane/montmorillonite nanocomposites cured under room temperature

The polyurethane/C16C18-MMT (the montmorillonite modified with cetyloctadecyldimethyl ammonium bromide) nanocomposites were synthesized by intercalative polymerization and cured under room temperature. The d-spacing and the dispersion of the C16C18-MMT in the nanocomposites were measured by X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM). The mechanical and thermal properties of the nanocomposites were measured by Universal Testing System, Electric Anti-fold Instrument, Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). It was found out that introducing C16C18-montmorillonite (MMT) in the polyurethane (PU) displayed good mechanical properties and thermal stability. Rheology behavior in liquid state showed that the addition of the C16C18-MMT to PU resulted in low gel time and high viscosity.