Hierarchical reinforcement of polyurethane-based composites with inorganic micro- and nanoplatelets

Hierarchically reinforced structures are widespread in nature but less common among man-made materials. In this paper, we show that polyurethane-based thermoplastic polymers can be hierarchically reinforced with laponite nanoplatelets and alumina microplatelets to reach strength and elastic modulus that are, respectively, 7- and 29-fold higher than that of the pure polymer matrix (91.7 MPa and 6.97 GPa, respectively). We find that the selective reinforcement of the polyurethane hard domains with laponite nanoplatelets is key to keep the polymer matrix sufficiently ductile for the incorporation of high concentrations of alumina microplatelets. Effective reinforcement of the polymer with microplatelets of different surface chemistries was only possible after annealing the composite at 130 °C to promote strong bonding at the oxide/polymer interface. Large-area composite films and bulk parts exhibiting good alignment of alumina microplatelets were obtained through conventional tape-casting. The concept of hierarchical reinforcement demonstrated here can be explored to obtain composite materials covering a wide range of mechanical properties using only a few reinforcing building blocks within the same polymer matrix.