Nanosilica reinforced waterborne siloxane-polyurethane nanocomposites prepared via "click" coupling

In the work, click chemistry coupling reaction was used to modify waterborne polyurethane (WPU) with a silane coupling agent, and then the as-prepared waterborne siloxane-polyurethane dispersion was incorporated into the nanosilica moieties forming the nanosilica reinforced waterborne siloxane-polyurethane (WSPUSi) nanocomposites. WSPUSi was characterized by FTIR, H-1 NMR, X-ray diffraction analysis, mechanical property testing, transmission electron microscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. In order to highlight the excellent performance of WSPUSi, the traditional WPU/nanosilica composites (TWPUSi) were also fabricated. Comparative study on the water sorption, scanning electron microscopy, acetone and toluene absorption and UV-visible transmission spectroscopy of WSPUSi and TWPUSi with the varying nanosilica was conducted. The research results indicate that WSPUSi nanocomposites with reinforced mechanical properties and thermal stability showed excellent comprehensive performance containing water resistance and solvent resistance in comparison with TWPUSi.