High-Strength Polyurethane−Inorganic Composites

This presentation will discuss the facile fabrication of highly filled, lightweight organic−inorganic composites comprising naturally occurring clinoptilolite microparticles covalently linked with upcycled polyols. These polyurethane/clinoptilolite (PUC) composites possess flexural and compressive strengths comparable to ordinary Portland cement (OPC) while being ∼1.5× lighter than OPC, ascribable to mitigated particle aggregation usually observed in composites with high particle loadings. These PUC composites also possess enhanced thermal insulation and acoustic attenuation compared with conventionally employed materials (e.g., drywall and gypsum). The density, strength, and functional properties of these composites are tuned by systematically varying their composition (diisocyanate, polyol, and inorganic contents) and the nature of the organic (reactivity of polyol and isocyanate) components. The fabrication process involves mild curing conditions and uses commonly available reagents (naturally occurring aluminosilicate particles, polyols, and diisocyanate), making the process scalable. Finally, the composite properties are shown to be independent of the polyol source (virgin or recycled), isocyanate type (TDI, MDI, or IPDI), and the chemistry of the inorganic particles, underlining the generality of our approach.