Effect of organoclay-type and clay-polyurethane interaction chemistry for tuning the morphology, gas barrier and mechanical properties of clay/ polyurethane nanocomposites

摘要

Organo-modified montmorillonite (Mt) and bentonite reinforced clay/polyurethane nanocomposite (CPN) films were produced by master-batch based melt-mixing route, followed by compression molding. A novel route for preparation of master-batch by solution mixing was explored by using sonication and high-speed stirring. It was found that master-batch prepared by solvent mixing route resulted in good dispersion of clay-platelets in master batch and finally in CPN. The concentration of both organoclays was varied from 1 to 5 wt% in final CPN, which were prepared by melt-mixing of master-batch and neat polyurethane (PU) in a twin-screw extruder.