Effects of Nanosized Polystyrene and Polystyrene-Encapsulated Nanosilica on Physical Properties of Natural Rubber/Styrene Butadiene Rubber Nanocomposites

Abstract

Natural rubber (NR)/styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) nanocomposites have been prepared with nanosized polystyrene (nPS) and polystyrene-encapsulated nanosilica (PS-nSiO 2 ) through latex compounding. The nPS and PS-nSiO 2 were synthesized by differential microemulsion polymerization. 80/20 NR/SBR blend was filled with various loadings of nPS and PS-nSiO 2 (1, 3, 5 and 7 phr). The influence of nanofillers on the tensile properties, dynamic mechanical properties and thermal stability of the resulting nanocomposites was quantified. The results showed the improvement in the tensile strength, modulus and thermal stability by the appropriate amount of nPS and PS-nSiO 2 in the nanocomposites, whilst the elongation at break slightly deteriorated.

Nanocomposites of NR/SBR Blend Prepared by Latex Casting Method: Effects of Nano-TiO2 and Polystyrene-Encapsulated Nano-TiO2 on the Cure Characteristics, Physical Properties, and Morphology

“…Blending of rubbers is an important technique to improve certain properties not inherent in a single rubber, while incorporating an inorganic nanofiller (nanosized filler) even at a very low loading (less than 10 wt%) into rubber matrix by physical mixing has attracted considerable interest for both scientific challenges and industrial applications due to their high-performance properties [2,[4][5][6][7][8][9][11][12][13][14][15][16]. Natural rubber (NR) is one of the most important natural biosynthesis polymers, according to its high elasticity, resilience and mechanical properties, low heat build-up and cost, and good formability [1,[4][5][6][7][8][9]. NR can exhibit higher tensile and tear strength than synthetic rubbers due to its ability to undergo strain crystallization [1,[6][7][8][9].…”

“…However, NR suffers from poor weathering, ozone, oil, and thermal resistance because of its nonpolarity and high unsaturation [9,10]. Consequently, NR is normally modified by simple blending with commercially available rubbers and/or fillers to improve its physical properties, thermal stability, and end-use performances [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]10]. Styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) is a synthetic copolymer derived from styrene and 1,3-butadiene, which can be commercially produced in a latex form by an emulsion polymerization process [1,6,16].…”

“…Natural rubber (NR) is one of the most important natural biosynthesis polymers, according to its high elasticity, resilience and mechanical properties, low heat build-up and cost, and good formability [1,[4][5][6][7][8][9]. NR can exhibit higher tensile and tear strength than synthetic rubbers due to its ability to undergo strain crystallization [1,[6][7][8][9]. However, NR suffers from poor weathering, ozone, oil, and thermal resistance because of its nonpolarity and high unsaturation [9,10].…”

“…High-performance elastomeric materials have been produced by developing multicomponent systems in terms of rubber blend and/or rubber nanocomposites [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]. Blending of rubbers is an important technique to improve certain properties not inherent in a single rubber, while incorporating an inorganic nanofiller (nanosized filler) even at a very low loading (less than 10 wt%) into rubber matrix by physical mixing has attracted considerable interest for both scientific challenges and industrial applications due to their high-performance properties [2,[4][5][6][7][8][9][11][12][13][14][15][16].…”

“…Consequently, NR is normally modified by simple blending with commercially available rubbers and/or fillers to improve its physical properties, thermal stability, and end-use performances [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]10]. Styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) is a synthetic copolymer derived from styrene and 1,3-butadiene, which can be commercially produced in a latex form by an emulsion polymerization process [1,6,16]. SBR possesses higher crack-initiation resistance, wet grip, abrasion resistance, and aging stability than NR, whereas NR has higher strength and performance at low temperature than SBR [1,4,6].…”