Properties of nanocomposites based on crosslinked elastomeric polyurethane and ultrasmall additives of single-wall carbon nanotubes

It is shown for the first time that the addition of ultrasmall amounts of single-wall carbon nanotubes leads to a significant increase in the main mechanical characteristics of the crosslinked poly(urethane urea) elastomer. The elastic modulus and the tensile strength pass through maxima as the nanotube concentration is increased from 0 to 0.018 wt %; at a nanotube concentration of 0.002 wt %, the maximum values of the modulus and strength are higher by factors of 2.5 and 1.5, respectively, than the corresponding values for the unfilled polymer. The thermomechanical, spectral, and structural characteristics of nanomodified elastomers are investigated, and possible causes of change in their mechanical parameters are discussed.