Characterization of Polyurethane/Organophilic Montmorilonite Nanocomposites by Low Field NMR

Polyurethanes are important and versatile materials, mainly due to some of their properties, such as high resistance to abrasion and tearing, excellent absorption of mechanical shocks and good flexibility and elasticity. However, they have some drawbacks as well, such as low thermal stability and barrier properties. To overcome these disadvantages, various studies have been conducted involving organophilic polyurethane/montmorillonite nanocomposites. The investigation of the structure of polyurethane/clay nanocomposites has mainly been done by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In this work, PU/clay nanocomposite films obtained by solution intercalation were studied. The nanocomposites were characterized by XRD and low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR). The LF-NMR measurements, with determination of the spin-lattice relaxation time of the hydrogen nucleus, supplied important information about the molecular dynamics of these nanocomposites. The X-ray diffraction measurements validated the results found by NMR. The thermal stability of the material was also determined by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) under an inert atmosphere. A slight improvement in this stability was observed in the nanocomposite in comparison with polyurethane.