Effect of ionic liquid modified carbon nanotubes on the properties of nitrile butadiene rubber and nitrile butadiene latex nanocomposites

Abstract

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) were widely used in nano‐polymer materials due to their excellent electrical and thermal conductivity and mechanical properties. However, the dispersion of MWCNT in the rubber matrix was usually poor due to their large aspect ratio and tendency to agglomerate. The main innovation of this technology was that the non‐covalent modification did not destroy the surface structure and original properties of MWCNT, which was a breakthrough compared to the previous covalent modification. The obtained IL‐MWCNT was still distributed in the water a month after sonication. The microstructural development of the filled network and the uniform dispersion of MWCNT in the presence of IL were analyzed by TEM. The apparent physical (cation–π/π–π) interactions between MWCNT and IL were characterized by Raman spectroscopy and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The high‐performance composites of IL‐MWCNT and nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) or nitrile butadiene rubber latex (NBRL) were prepared by the liquid latex blending method. The mechanical properties of the composites were improved due to the uniform distribution of IL‐MWCNT in the matrix. As found in this work, the addition of 3 phr of IL increased the mechanical properties of the composites significantly. The continued addition of IL affects the dispersion of MWCNT in the composites due to the plasticizing and diluting effects of IL, which results in a decrease in the mechanical properties. This study provides a simple, environmentally friendly method for the development of IL‐MWCNT composites.

Multifunctional Applications of Ionic Liquids in Polymer Materials: A Brief Review

“…Due to the physical interaction (cation-π and π-π interaction) between MWCNTs and ILs, the dispersion of MWCNTs was significantly improved within the NBR matrix, leading to a more uniformly crosslinked rubber network structure, resulting in improved mechanical properties and fatigue resistance. Specially, the composites filled with 3 phr ILs-modified MWCNTs showed the most significant improvement in mechanical properties [57]. Similarly, in the SBR matrix, the dispersion of ILs-modified MWCNTs was better than that of unmodified MWCNTs, as depicted in Figure 6, in which large agglomerates surrounded by black circles were observed in the cross-section of unmodified MWCNTs-filled SBR.…”

Study on the Dispersion Stability and Plugging Performance of Dopamine-Modified Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes

“…This energy is approximately 500 eV/μm . As a result, commercial MWCNTs are mostly present as solid powders of cross-linked and entangled aggregates, leading to a challenge for their homogeneous dispersion in water. , One of the keys to exploiting the excellent performance of carbon nanotubes as plugging materials in WBDFs is to solve the problem of their dispersion stability. At present, the main methods to enhance the dispersion stability of carbon nanotubes are physical dispersion (based on mechanical shear, ultrasonic dispersion, ball milling, etc.)…”