Preparation and Performance of Waterborne Polyurethane/Nanosilica Hybrid Materials

The polyurethane prepolymer was synthesized, and hydrophilic nano-sized silica (A200) was added to the prepolymer with KH550 as a coupling agent, then a waterborne polyurethane/nanosilica hybrid material (WPUNS) was obtained by a sol-gel process. The structure and performance of the WPUNS films were studied by FTIR, TG, DSC and physical mechanical testing. The particle size and distribution of WPUNS hybrid emulsion was analyzed by a dynamic light scatter (DLS). The morphology of emulsion and films were observed by Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) and Atomic Force Microscope (AFM), respectively. FTIR analysis indicates the formation of chemical bond between WPU and A200. TEM images display that A200 particles were encapsulated by PU macromolecules and formed a composite particles structure. As the mass fraction of A200 increased from 0 to 2%, the particle size increased from 79.9 nm to 139.9 nm, the tensile strength of the films increased from 6.32 MPa to 20.46 MPa, water absorption decreased from 28.3% to 6.3%, and the hardness was also improved. The TG result indicates that A200 can improve thermal stability of WPUNS. DSC shows that there is no clear effect of nanosilica on the glass transition of soft segments. AFM displays that the smoothness of the films increases with A200 addition.