Polydimethylsiloxane-toughened PU/EP IPN composites loaded with carbon nanotubes: Damping, thermal, and mechanical properties

A series of HTPDMS-toughened castor oil-based PU/EP-graft IPN composites loaded with multi-walled CNTs were prepared. The damping properties, thermal stability, tensile and impact strengths, as well as fractured surfaces of the modified IPN composites were studied systematically. Results revealed that the addition of CNTs can significantly improve the damping capacity especially when the CNTs content was 0.5%, though the thermal decomposition temperature decreased slightly. The tensile strength increased by more than 40% when the CNT contents were 0.3% and 0.5%. When the CNTs content was 0.1%, the impact strength was also improved. It is expected that the modified composites may be used as structural damping materials.