Synergistic reinforcement of waterborne polyurethane films using Palygorskite and dolomite as micro/nano-fillers

In this paper, two types of reinforcement agents of fibrous palygorskite (PAL) and rhombohedral dolomite (DOL) have been used together by simply mixing in order to improve the mechanical and thermal properties of waterborne polyurethane (WPU). A great synergistic effect between 1D PAL and 3D DOL on reinforcing WPU matrix has been observed. In comparison to neat WPU, the tensile strength of such three components WPU-based composite has been significantly improved by 178% with an addition of 4 wt% PAL and 6 wt% DOL. Furthermore, its initial decomposition temperature also has been increased 55 °C. The formation of 3D conjugated filler network with 1D PAL inserted into the 3D DOL network could be attributed to such synergistic reinforcement of WPU. This work provides a good example and eco-friendly pathway for the preparation of high performance polymer composites by simply using micro/nano-fillers with different dimension together.