Preparation and property evaluation of nanocomposites based on polyurethane-modified epoxy/montmorillonite systems

Montmorillonite nanoclay and polyurethanes obtained from polyethylene glycol (PUR 400) and polyoxypropylene diol (PUR 1002) were used to enhance the mechanical properties of an epoxy resin. Maximum impact strength improvement was obtained with compositions containing 2% nanoclay and 10% PUR 400 as well as that with 1% nanoclay and 15% PUR 400, corresponding to 110% and 75%, respectively, in relation to the unmodified epoxy resin. Moreover, a 10‐fold increase was observed with respect to the flexural strain at break for the composition containing 15% PUR 1002 and 2% nanoclay. SEM micrographs have indicated that the mechanism of mechanical property enhancement is associated with increased yield of the epoxy matrix. Moreover, FTIR results showed that some chemical reactions have taken place between the hydroxyl groups of epoxy resin and the isocyanate groups of polyurethane, explaining partly the improvement in the mechanical properties of the polymer matrix. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Adv Polym Techn 29:237–248, 2010; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com. DOI 10.1002/adv.20192