Morphologies and Mechanical Properties of Polyurethane/Epoxy Resin Interpenetrating Network Composites Modified with Kaolin.

Polyurethane/epoxy resin (PU/EP)/dimethyl sulfoxide modified kaolin (PU/EP/K-DMSO) interpenetrating network composites were prepared by in situ intercalation method. FT-IR showed that hydrogen bonding existed between kaolin and PU/EP matrix. The structure of composites was characterized by XRD, SEM and TEM. The result indicated that: K-DMSO by a nanometer size and homodisperse in the PU/EP matrix. The analysis of images obtained by polarizing microscope showed that bubble diameter has decreased with the K-DMSO added. Mechanical test results indicated that: the tensile and compression strength of the PU/EP/K-DMSO composites are superior to those of the PU/EP IPNs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]