Preparation and characterization of nanocomposite material based on polyurethane acrylate macromonomer

Abstract In the present investigation, a macromonomer of polyurethane acrylate (PUA) was synthesized, and novel netlike nanocomposite materials were prepared through in situ polymerization of polyurethane acrylate macromonomers in the presence of organically modified montmorillonite (oMMT). The structure of oMMT was compared with untreated MMT by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and X‐ray diffraction (XRD). Transmission electronic microscopy (TEM) studies showed that the silicate layers of oMMT were dispersed homogeneously in the polymer matrix. Tensile test, impact test, and thermal gravity analysis proved that the mechanical and thermal properties of the nanocomposites are superior to those of the pure system, and the mechanical properties of the cured hybrid reach maximum while the content of oMMT is 1.5 wt%. Surprisingly, dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) displayed that the glass transition temperature (T_g) of the nanocomposites decreased with increasing the oMMT contents. POLYM. COMPOS., 2009. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers