Preparation of poly(ionic liquid)/multi-walled carbon nanotube fillers using divinylbenzene as a linker to enhance the impact resistance of polyurethane elastomers

Zehui Xiang; Fan Hu; Xueyan Wu; Fugang Qi; Biao Zhang; Nie Zhao; Xiaoping Ouyang

doi:10.1039/d1ra07174b

Preparation of poly(ionic liquid)/multi-walled carbon nanotube fillers using divinylbenzene as a linker to enhance the impact resistance of polyurethane elastomers

RSC Adv. 2022 Jan 12;12(3):1777-1787. doi: 10.1039/d1ra07174b. eCollection 2022 Jan 5.

Authors

Zehui Xiang^{1

2}, Fan Hu^{1

2}, Xueyan Wu^{1

2}, Fugang Qi^{1

2}, Biao Zhang^{1

2}, Nie Zhao^{1

2}, Xiaoping Ouyang^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ School of Materials Science and Engineering, Xiangtan University Xiangtan 411105 P. R. China qifugang@xtu.edu.cn.
² Key Laboratory of Low Dimensional Materials and Application Technology of Ministry of Education, Xiangtan University Xiangtan 411105 P. R. China.

Abstract

The brittle fracture of polyurethane elastomer (PUE) under high-speed impact limits its application in high-speed impact protection. Here, based on the principle of free radical polymerization and π-π conjugation, composite nanoparticles (C-MWCNTs) are prepared by copolymerization of epoxy group ionic liquid (GVIMBr) and divinylbenzene (DVB) on MWCNTs using DVB as a linker. C-MWCNTs participate in the curing process of PUE through epoxy groups to form in situ crosslinked C-MWCNTs/PUE, which improves the energy absorption and high-speed impact properties of PUE. Compared with neat PUE, the maximum compressive strength and energy absorbed by C-MWCNTs/PUE are increased by 46.3% and 23.6%, respectively. By observing the microsurface and fracture morphology of C-MWCNTs/PUE, the relationship between macroscopic mechanical properties and microstructure is constructed. The improvement of the mechanical properties of the C-MWCNTs/PUE is attributed to the interfacial interaction and homogeneous dispersion of the C-MWCNTs in the PUE matrix. These microscopic effects are caused by the good compatibility between GVIMBr and PUE matrix and the synergistic enhancement between GVIMBr and MWCNTs.