Polyurethane/polyphenylsilsequiloxane nanocomposite: From waterborne dispersions to coating films

Proper building of polymer/polysilsequioxane composite is determined by deep-rooted structural variables. This work focuses on the fabrication of silane-grafted waterborne polyurethane (DWPU)/polyphenylsilsequioxanes (PPSQ) composites by blending and in-situ methods, respectively. By using blending method, PPSQ nanoparticle latexes were dispersed in DWPU. By using in-situ method, as the precursor of PPSQ, phenyltrimethoxysilane was mixed in DWPU, and PPSQ was expected to be generated via in-situ sol-gel reaction during film formation. We systematically investigated the influences of PPSQ and its incorporation method on the phase separation of films. The competition between a heterophase-triggered phase separation and a silane-based crosslinking was found during film formation. The intrinsically local ordering permutation of PU segments was interrupted more or less with PPSQ. Both surface composition and morphology were altered in correspondence to the different addition amount of PPSQ. Furthermore, optical, mechanical, and thermal resistances of composite films were also investigated for potential applications as coatings.