Magnetic polyurethane composites—fabrication and applications

Abstract

In recent years, polymer–magnetic nanocomposites have gained considerable attention in both academia and industry. The unique magnetism of the magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) enables the enhancement in desired properties of polymer composites by controlled nanoscale engineering. The introduction of MNPs even at very small-scale loadings can significantly improve the properties of resultant composite materials. Polyurethane composites reinforced with MNPs have gained noticeable attention in various fields such as microwave absorption, hydrophobic–antimicrobial, drug delivery, MRI contrasting agent, tissue engineering, and oil and dyes separation from water. This chapter will give an account of state-of-the-art fabrications of magnetic polyurethane composite matrices, foams, and sponges and their applications in the aforementioned fields. We also discuss the key challenges and future perspectives of the polyurethane–magnetic hybrid system.