Preparation and characterization of waterborne polyurethane/clay nanocomposite: Effect on water vapor permeability

A series of waterborne polyurethane (WBPU)/clay nanocomposite coating materials were prepared by prepolymer process with different clay contents (0–2 wt %). The study investigated surface structure as well as water resistance, thermal, mechanical, and water vapor permeability (WVP) of composite materials as a function of clay contents. The glass transition temperature of composite materials was higher than pristine WBPU and also increased with increasing clay contents. Thermal stability, and water resistance of the nanocomposite films also increased, when compared with pristine WBPU, and these properties increased with an increase in clay content. The maximum tensile strength was found with optimum clay content (1 wt %) of composite films. The WVP of coated nylon fabrics depend on the clay content and temperatures. The rate (%) of WVP of coated nylon fabrics decreased with increasing clay content at a fixed temperature. However, at a fixed clay content the WVP increased with the increase of temperatures. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008