The production of strong and elastic polyurethane nanocomposites toughened with nanocellulose (NC) and
their widespread application in many engineering fields are currently limited by poor processability via
classical industrial processing methods and/or the usage of large amount of solvents. In this report, we
demonstrate a scalable, organic solvent-free incorporation of nanocellulose into thermoplastic polyurethane
(TPU) and a remarkable reinforcement without compromising elastic properties. The nanocomposites
were prepared via water-assisted dispersion of nanocellulose in polyether polyol by bead milling,
drying and reactive extrusion of this dispersion with comonomers. Upon the incorporation of nanocellulose
(0.5 wt.%), as observed from infrared spectroscopic and thermal analysis, the phase mixing of hard and softsegments
in the TPU matrix and the primary relaxation temperature have slightly increased due to the
hydrogen bonding, interfacial area and nucleation-enhanced by long polar nanocrystals. The
TPU/nanocellulose nanocomposites prepared with an appropriate stoichiometric ratio (determined
through appropriate process control) showed a remarkable improvement (up to 43%) in ultimate tensile
strength without compromising the elastic properties including elongation, creep and hysteresis.