Abstract: Reinforced thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer (TPU)/polyoxymethylene (POM) composites with potassium hexatitanate whisker (PTW) were prepared by a melt mixing method. Effect of PTW content on mechanical properties of TPU/POM composites was studied, and impact fracture morphologies of the composites were investigated by scanning electron microscopy. The results indicated that the impact toughness of POM was significantly improved by the addition of TPU. The notch impact strength of the composites increased by a factor of 2.5 times compared with that of pure POM when 10 wt % TPU was incorporated. Nevertheless, the tensile and flexural strength showed a decrease in the presence of TPU. Mechanical properties of the composites at TPU/POM weight ratio of 10/90 could be significantly improved by the introduction of PTW. With the addition of 15 wt % PTW, the composites achieved optimum mechanical properties, in which the tensile strength, tensile modulus, elongation at break, flexural strength, flexural modulus, and notched impact strength reached 35.91 MPa, 248.32 MPa, 24.17 %, 144.94 MPa, 12.26 GPa, and 112.1 kJ/m2, respectively. Compared with those of TPU/POM composite, the tensile modulus, flexural modulus and notched impact strength of the POM/TPU/PTW composite increased by 14.7 %, 54.2 % and 9.2 %, respectively.

Key words: polyoxymethylene, potassium hexatitanate whisker, thermoplastic polyurethane, reinforcement