Microstructure and water vapor transport properties of functionalized carbon nanotube-reinforced dense-segmented polyurethane composite membranes

This work investigates the influence of functionalized multiwall carbon nanotube (MWNT) on microstructure and water vapor transport properties of segmented Polyurethane (SPU) membranes. SPUs were reinforced with four different concentration of MWNT viz. 0.25, 0.50, 1.0, and 2.5 wt%. Presence of the microcrystals in all SPU-MWNT composite membranes was detected by wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD). The percent crystallinity of SPU-MWNT at 0.25 wt% content of MWNT was increased slightly when compared with the pristine SPU sample. However, further increase of MWNT decreases the order structure. Glass transition temperature was increases with increasing MWNT content in the SPUs, which signifies that MWNT could also affect the amorphous region of SPU. WAXD and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results evidenced the interaction between SPUs and MWNT. In comparing the water vapor transport properties of MWNT-SPU composite membranes, it was observed that at 0.25 wt% of MWNT in SPU, water vapor transport property increases slightly at soft segment crystal melting temperature. Further increase of MWNT content has no significant influence on the water vapor transport properties. However, at 2.5 wt% of MWNT in SPU matrix, water vapor transport was decreases due to the increase of stiffness in the polymer chains.