PERMEATION BEHAVIOR AND PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF NATURAL RUBBER NANOCOMPOSITES

Nanocomposites made by adding nanoparticle reinforcement to polymers have been demonstrated to have significantly enhanced properties at relatively low levels of added reinforcement. The observed properties have in some cases been attributed to the shape of the reinforcing particle. Nanoparticle additives with a variety of particle morphologies and compositions have become commercially available in recent years. A study was carried out to examine the effects of varying nanoparticle morphology and composition on the mechanical and barrier properties of polymer nanocomposites made with natural rubber (NR). NR compounds were prepared containing different nanoparticles including montmorillonite layered silicate (MLS) clay, exfoliated graphite nanoparticles (EGN), carbon nanotubes (CNT) and conventional carbon black (CB). The cure behavior and mechanical properties of the prepared nanocomposites were investigated. Barrier property testing included permeation of selected organic compounds utilizing a recently developed fully flooded surface method. The relationships between these properties and nanoparticle composition and morphology are presented.