Preparation and Properties of Graphene Oxide-Modified Anti-UV Waterborne Polyurethane Nanocomposites

In this present study, graphene oxide (GO) was used as a secondary chain extender and a functional modification assistant to fabricate a three-dimensional nanocomposite (GO-WPU) with waterborne polyurethane (WPU) through the prepolymer dispersion. The tensile strength and elastic modulus of GO-WPU with 0.2 wt.% GO content, compared with those of pure WPU, increase by 170.38% and 50.9%, respectively. Even with a small amount of GO content added, the ultraviolet absorption rate significantly increased, whereas the ultraviolet transmittance decreased significantly. Other properties such as thermal stability and so on were also much enhanced. These results suggested that the functional nanocomposite GO-WPU prepared through the prepolymer dispersion will be an effective fabrication approach and have a wider scope of applications in functional coating materials and film materials.