Experimental characterization of thermoplastic polyurethane nanocomposites under extreme conditions

The thermal insulation properties of thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer nanocomposites (TPUN) were characterized at different heat flux levels. Thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer (TPU) was modified with montmorillonite nanoclays (Cloisite® 30B) and carbon nanofibers (PR24PS) via twin screw extrusion processing. Several loadings of these two types of nanoparticles were incorporated into the thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer to create polymer nanocomposites. It was found that TPU with 10% PR24PS and TPU with 5% Cloisite 30B gave the best thermal insulation performance. Surface temperatures of these polymer nanocomposites were measured using an infrared pyrometer. The surface temperatures of the TPUN-clay material did not vary much while the surface temperatures of the TPUN-CNF material varied substantially.