Investigation of the Influence of Nanoclay on the Mechanical, Thermal, and Morphological Behaviors of Polyurethane/Ginger Spent Hybrid Composites

ABSTRACT With an objective to investigate the influence of nanoclay (NC) on the mechanical, thermal, and morphological properties of polyurethane (PU) in the presence of 5 wt% of ginger spent (GS), PU/GS/NC nanocomposite films were fabricated by a solution intercalation method with varying amounts, namely 0, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 wt%, of NC. The fabricated PU/GS/NC nanocomposite films were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR), X‐ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The mechanical properties such as the tensile strength, tensile modulus, percentage elongation at break, and surface hardness have been performed for nanocomposites. FT‐IR and XRD analysis show the nature of the NC interaction with the PU matrix, whereas SEM images show agglomeration of NC and entanglement of polymer chains with NC with an increase in the NC content. It was found that the tensile strength of the biocomposites increased from 4.5 to 13.7 MPa, tensile modulus increased from 8.2 to 14.3 MPa, and surface hardness increased from 70 to 77 shore A, whereas the percentage elongation at break decreased from 155.2% to 100.5%. Static water contact angle measurements on the surface of the PU/GS/NC nanocomposites reveal a reduction in surface polarity by way of changes in the contact angle from 76.83° to 55.24°, whereas surface energy increased from 88.36 to 102.11 mJ/m2 with an increase in the NC content. With an increase in the NC content, the chemical resistance of the green composites in different chemical environments improved. Thermal analysis by a thermogravimetric analyzer indicates improvement in thermal stability with an increase in the NC content. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Adv Polym Technol 2014, 33, 21404; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com . DOI 10.1002/adv.21404