Thermal transitions of montmorillonite/polyurethane nanocomposites

The hard-segment phase thermal transitions and heat-resistance of benzidine -modified-montmorillonite (BZD-Mont)/polyurethane nanocomposites of differe nt hard segment contents were found to be affected by a small amount of BZD -Mont. In particular, the presence of less than 5 wt% layered silicates fro m BZD-Mont can result in hard segments not only having a more thermally sta ble long-range order and a higher melting temperature, but also showing a l oss of crystallinity of the hard segment in polyurethane. Additionally, the degradation temperature of BZD-Mont/polyurethane nanocomposite was slightl y higher than that of pure polyurethane.