Preparation And Characterization Of ZnO Nanoparticle-Reinforced Polyurethane

In this paper, polyurethane-based composites reinforced with ZnO nanoparticles (about 27 nm) were prepared via the so-called solution blending. The ZnO/PU composite films were successfully fabricated by a simple method of solution casting and evaporation. The properties of the film were characterized by X-ray diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), UV-vis spectrophotometer, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and universal material testing machine. It was found that significant improvement of the PU film in Young's modulus and tensile strength was achieved by incorporating ZnO nanoparticles up to 2.0 wt%. Moreover, the UV light absorption, glass transformation temperature (Tg), ultraviolet light fastness, climate resistance and abrasion resistance of thecomposite films were also improved.