Mechanical and optical properties of clay-based nanocomposites coatings for wood flooring

Clay-based nanocomposites coatings cured by UV light were prepared by four different types of dispersion equipment: a high-speed mixer, a ball mill, a bead mill and a three-roll mill. For each treatment, formulations were prepared at 1, 3 and 10 wt% of clay. A previous study had established the dispersion efficiency of each treatment and the effect of clay dispersion on UV curing. The present study relates to the effect of clay dispersion on mechanical and optical properties. The mechanical properties studied included abrasion resistance, direct and reverse impact resistance as well as Persoz hardness. Optical properties, such as haze, gloss, color and optical clarity were assessed. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to evaluate the effect of clay loading and process type on mechanical and optical properties. A statistical analysis revealed that each property varied with the percentage of clay loading in every treatment. It was found that the quality of the clay dispersion strongly affected both mechanical and optical properties.