Mechanical properties and linear infrared dichroism of thin films of polyurethane nanocomposites

Morphological, mechanical, and Fourier transform infrared dichroic investigations were performed on neat polyurethane (PU) polymer matrix and PU+CaCO3 nanocomposite thin films to determine how the nanofiller influenced the mechanical properties. The measurements were performed on strips that were cut from the prepared films in parallel and perpendicular directions with respect to the direction of film preparation. Optical microscopy of PU and the PU+CaCO3 nanocomposite revealed the strain-induced transition from a continuous spherulitic morphology to a fiberlike structure. The stress-strain behavior of the neat PU and PU+CaCO3 nanocomposite films showed significant differences at large strain regimes. The experimental results suggest that the mechanical properties were strongly related to the orientational behavior of the separated phases. The orientation of the hard and soft segments was analyzed by the orientation function calculated from the IR absorbances. A correlation between the orientations of segments, tensile properties, and hardness of the investigated polymer films was established. (c) 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.