Nanoreinforcement of thermoplastic polyurethanes

Poly(ether- -urethane)s and poly(ester-6-urethanes)s are designated as TPUs. Interestingly, nanoreinforcement is considered as a suitable tool for the property improvement of crosslinked polyurethanes. The interest in this development is due to the traditional application of crosslinked polyurethanes (coatings, varnishes, etc.) where the modification with nanoparticles may be very promising e.g., yielding scratch and abrasion resistance). Therefore, it is appropriate to have a look at the related works and adopt the results for thermoplastic grades. Note that the related teaching can be rather easily transferred from thermoset to thermoplastic polyurethanes. 

In situ techniques involve polymerization and sol-gel reactions. In the former case, polyurethanes are produced from suitable polyols and polyisocyanates in the presence of nanoparticles or their sources e.g., an organoclay with mean particle size initially in the range of a few micrometers). According to the sol-gel route, nanoparticles are produced in situ via suitable chemical reactions e.g., [10]). 

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