Synthesis, characterization and study on thermal stability, mechanical properties and thermal conductivity of UV-curable urethane acrylate-Clay (MMT) nanocomposites

In this study, at first UV-curable urethane acrylate-Clay nanocomposites (UA/Clay) were synthesized, then the effects of nanoparticles on the thermal stability, mechanical properties and thermal conductivity of UA nanocomposites were investigated. FT-IR analysis confirmed the molecular structure of urethane acrylate oligomer. SEM images showed that the nanoparticles were dispersed uniformly in the polymer matrix. The thermal stability of samples were investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (DTG). DMTA study indicated significant improvement in the mechanical properties and thermal behavior of nanocomposites by adding a certain amount of Clay (3, 5 wt%) nanoparticles to polymer-matrix. Moreover, infrared thermography analysis showed that thermal conductivity of the nanocomposites rose as filler content increased (3, 5 wt%).