Synthesis and Characterization of polyurethane/silver nanocomposite by Microwave assisted

In this study, the dielectric heating was performed by microwave irradition to synthesize polyurethane/silver nanocomposite, which was carried out by distributing and dissolving silver nitrate salt in the polyurethane and the reduction of silver cation retained in ethylene glycol micelles in the prepolymer solutions. Decreasing the time and number of synthesis processes and, consequently, reducing production costs is one of the advantages of this technique. During the chemical reactions, microwave waves with constant intensity and frequency at 30, 60, 90, 120 seconds were applied to solvent prepolymer by a microwave oven. By completion of the chemical reactions, silver nanoparticles were synthesized in a polyurethane matrix. The effect of microwave and insitu synthesis of and silver nanoparticles on chemical bonding of polyurethane in terms of structure, morphology, composition and particle size distribution were studied by using UV-Vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmitted electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (EDX) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis. Produced nanoparticles have spherical and semi spherical morphology with particle size distribution in the range of 10 to 80 nm, and the fcc crystalline structure and uniform dispersion in the polyurethane matrix. Meanwhile, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy of nanocomposites showed synthesis of silver nanoparticles no negative effect on polyurethane chemical bonds by this method.