Butyl Rubber Nanocomposites with Monolayer MoS2 Additives: Structural Characteristics, Enhanced Mechanical, and Gas Barrier Properties

Abstract

Emerging two-dimensional (2D) materialsm, such as molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), offer opportunities to tailor the mechanical and gas barrier properties of polymeric materials. In this study, MoS2 was exfoliated to monolayers by modification with ethanethiol and nonanethiol. The thicknesses of resulting MoS2 monolayers were 0.7 nm for MoS2-ethanethiol and 1.1 nm for MoS2-nonanethiol. MoS2 monolayers were added to chlorobutyl rubber to prepare MoS2-butyl rubber nanocomposites at concentrations of 0.5, 1, 3, and 5 phr. The tensile stress showed a maximum enhancement of about 30.7% for MoS2-ethanethiol-butyl rubber and 34.8% for MoS2-nonanethiol-butyl rubber when compared to pure chlorobutyl rubber. In addition, the gas barrier properties were increased by 53.5% in MoS2-ethanethiol-butyl rubber and 49.6% in MoS2-nonanethiol-butyl rubber. MoS2 nanosheets thus enhanced the mechanical and gas barrier properties of chlorobutyl rubber. The nanocomposites that are presented here may be used to manufacture pharmaceutical stoppers with high mechanical and gas barrier properties.

Sustainable Boron Nitride Nanosheet-Reinforced Cellulose Nanofiber Composite Film with Oxygen Barrier without the Cost of Color and Cytotoxicity

“…Two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials, including graphene and MoS 2 , have been introduced in polymeric films and shown to improve the oxygen barrier properties of the resulting matrix films, because the layered structure increases the pathway distance for oxygen gas [ 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 ]. Graphene and MoS 2 are colored and have high optical absorption coefficients [ 25 , 26 ].…”

Graphene nanoplatelets and other 2D-materials as protective means against the fading of coloured inks, dyes and paints

“…72,73 As for the transition-metal dichalcogenides, there are several references about their gas barrier properties, antibacterial and thermal resistance ability. 74,75 Because these materials do not have such stable structure as GNPs and hBN, flakes with more edges are created during their exfoliation. 76,77 Mostly monolayers but also few-layered, can absorb humidity and oxygen species at edges and vacancies of their structures.…”

Modeling dielectric permittivity of polymer composites filled with transition metal dichalcogenide nanoparticles

“…Aggregation of TMDC particles in polymer matrices is confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images, as well as by observations in tensile tests, which show a pronounced deterioration of the mechanical properties of nanocomposites with volume fraction of filler exceeding 1 vol%. 44,45 The effective volume fraction of clusters is defined as where K≥1 is a coefficient characterizing the presence of polymer molecules in clusters, and the subscript index “a” stands for aggregates. Keeping in mind that the volume fraction of filler in an individual cluster equals 1K, we find from equation (2) that the volume fraction of polymer in a cluster ψ reads …”

“…Aggregation of TMDC particles in polymer matrices is confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images, as well as by observations in tensile tests, which show a pronounced deterioration of the mechanical properties of nanocomposites with volume fraction of filler exceeding 1 vol%. 44,45 The effective volume fraction of clusters is defined as…”