Tough, Highly Transparent, and Wear Resistant Polyurethane–Calcium Phosphite Oligomer Organic–Inorganic Hybrid Nanocomposite

The application of composite materials has been greatly expanded with the integration of inorganic nanoparticles as fillers in polymers. However, achieving the fine dispersion of these nanoparticles in composites remains a challenge. In this study, the hydrogen bonds between a polyurethane (PU) molecular chain and a calcium phosphate oligomer (CPO, <1 nm) were utilized to achieve the uniform dispersion of nanoparticles at a high load (15%), and a composite material with high transparency was obtained. Benefiting from the synergistic effect of organic–inorganic networks and multiple dynamic hydrogen bonds, PU composites have higher mechanical strength (≈63 MPa) and excellent tensile properties (≈1224%) than commercially available polyurethanes. The addition of CPO improves the abrasion resistance, so the composites can be used as wear-resistant coatings and for spinning to produce super abrasive spandex. Moreover, the CPO-PU network enables composites not to produce molten droplets during combustion which reduces the risk of fire, offering the potential to improve the safety of composite materials used in the textiles, furniture, and automotive industries.