Thermal and Mechanical Characterizations of Nanoclay/Palm Oil Polyol Based Polyurethane Composites

Abstract

Effect of organically modified nanoclay on thermal and mechanical properties of palm oil polyol (POP) based polyurethane (PU) were investigated. Thermoplastic PU elastomer was synthesized utilizing polycaprolactonediol (PCL), POP, 4,4’-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) and 1,4-butanediol (BD) as chain extender via two-step prepolymer process in bulk. The amount of clay added is between 1 to 5 wt%. The produced nanocomposites were subjected to thermal and mechanical characterization which includes thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and tensile test. The results obtained showed improved thermal stability and tensile properties of PU nanocomposites upon addition of clay content.