Study of MXene-filled polyurethane nanocomposites prepared via an emulsion method

In this work, an emulsion method is applied to fill two-dimensional MXenes into polyurethanes (PUs). It shows that the addition of 0.5 wt% MXenes increase the yield stress, tensile strength and hardness of PUs by ∼70%, ∼20% and ∼13%, respectively. The mechanical enhancement is associated with the increase of hardness and reduction of water absorption. Morphologic study shows that a good dispersion of MXenes is achieved, in which ball milling is a key step for ensuring a stability of MXene-filled PU emulsions. Furthermore, FTIR analysis reveals the strong interaction between MXenes and PUs at molecular level.