Effect of nano ZnO on the phase mixing of polyurethane hybrid dispersions

In the present study series of aqueous polyurethane (PU)/ZnO hybrid dispersions were prepared using dimethylolpropionic acid (bis-MPA) as an ionic center. For this, NCO terminated PU prepolymers with pendent acid groups were prepared first, then different concentrations of nano ZnO powder was incorporated into the PU matrix. The hybrid dispersions were prepared by adding required amount of triethylamine (TEA), water and chain extender. The prepared PU/ZnO hybrid dispersions were casted in a Teflon petri dish and the dried films were used for TGA, DMTA, SEM, gel content and contact angle measurements. The phase mixing behavior was studied from FT-IR peak deconvolution technique and DMTA analysis and the result suggests that phase mixing increases with ZnO content. The DMTA data suggest that the phase mixing and soft segment glass transition increases but storage modulus decreases with increasing with ZnO content. The FT-IR deconvolution result supports to the DMTA analysis. The coating properties like adhesive strength, water absorption, contact angle, gel content and corrosion resistance of the hybrid coatings were also evaluated.