Preparation and properties of waterborne polyurethane/antimony doped tin oxide nanocomposite coatings via sol-gel reactions.

Various amounts of antimony doped tin oxide (ATO) nanoparticles were incorporated into waterborne polyurethane (WPU) dispersions by sol-gel reactions. The dispersion state and morphology investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the nanoparticles can disperse in the matrix uniformly. The analysis of visible-near infrared spectra (VIS-NIR) suggested that the WPU/ATO coatings show both low near infrared transmittance (35%) and high visible light transmittance (76%). The heat-insulation effect measurement demonstrated that the WPU/ATO coatings could prevent heat transmission effectively. It was also found that the introduction of ATO nanoparticles can improve the mechanical properties significantly. POLYM. COMPOS., 35:1169-1175, 2014. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]