Hierarchical Carbon Nanotube@SiO₂-TiO₂ Reinforced Polyurethane Composites: Thermal, Mechanical and Abrasion Resistance Properties

ABSTRACT

In this study, novel polyurethane-based composites reinforced by hierarchical CNTs@SiO₂-TiO₂ were fabricated via in situ polymerization. Significant improvement of the composites in thermal stability was achieved by incorporating functionalized CNTs up to 2.0 wt%. Meanwhile, the tensile strength, strain-at-break, and Young’s modulus were greatly improved by increasing nanotube loading. The Abrasion losses could be significantly decreased to 30 mm³/1.61 km due to the addition of functionalized CNTs. Therefore, the introduction of nanosized hierarchical SiO₂-TiO₂ coated CNTs has a stimulative effect on the simultaneous mechanical reinforcement and abrasion resistance modification for polyurethane.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

KEYWORDS:

• Abrasion resistance
• functionalized carbon nanotubes
• mechanical property
• polyurethane
• thermal stability

Additional information

Funding

The authors are supported by the National Nature Science Foundation of China (61705101), Natural Science Fund for Colleges and Universities in Jiangsu Province (17KJB430017), Opening Project of Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Structural Materials and Application Technology (ASMA201604), the Science Foundation of Nanjing Institute of Technology (YKJ201604), the Outstanding Scientific and Technological Innovation Team in Colleges and Universities of Jiangsu Province and Jiangsu Students’ Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program (201711276010Z).