The impact of nanomaterials and/or nanostructured materials is well known and well appreciated [1][2][3][4], mostly due to their potential applications based on their thermo-mechanical performance, flame resistance, electrical properties etc. Polymer matrix nanocomposites can be prepared by dispersing a small amount of nanometer size filler within the host medium. Rubber/Layered Silicate (LS) nanocomposites are increasingly attracting scientific and technological attention, because of the high reinforcing efficiency of the LS, even at very low loading. Polymer matrix/LS nanocomposites exhibit three different configurations: (a) microphase separated composites, where polymer matrix and layered silicates remain immiscible, (b) intercalated structures, where polymer molecules are inserted between the silicate layers, and (c) exfoliated structures, where individual silicate layers are dispersed in the polymer matrix. Polymer matrix nanocomposites are expected to be useful in replacing conventional insulating materials providing tailored performance, by simply controlling the type and the concentration of nanoinclusions [5][6][7][8]. 'Nanodielectrics' is a rather new term associating dielectrics with nanotechnology [9]. Nanoinclusions could be able to serve as inherent nanocapacitors. Charging and discharging 837 * Corresponding author, e-mail: G.C.Psarras@upatras.gr © BME-PT and GTE Abstract. Broadband Dielectric Spectroscopy (BDS) is employed in order to investigate relaxation phenomena occurring in natural rubber (NR), polyurethane rubber (PUR) and PUR/NR blend based nanocomposites, reinforced by 10 parts per hundred (phr) Layered Silicates (LS). Nanocomposites and matrices were examined under identical conditions in a wide frequency (10 -1 to 10 6 Hz) and temperature (-100 to 50°C) range. Experimental data are analyzed in terms of electric modulus formalism. The recorded relaxation phenomena include contributions from both the polymer matrices and the nanofiller. Natural rubber is a non-polar material and its performance is only slightly affected by the presence of layered silicates. Polyurethane rubber exhibits four distinct relaxation processes attributed, with ascending relaxation rate, to Interfacial Polarization (IP), glass/rubber transition (α-mode), local motions of polar side groups and small segments of the polymer chain (ÎČ, Îł-mode). The same processes have been detected in all systems containing PUR. IP is present in all nanocomposites being the slowest recorded process. Finally, pronounced interfacial relaxation phenomena, occurring in the PUR+10 phr LS spectra, are attributed to nanoscale effects of intercalation and exfoliation.Keywords : polymer composites, nanocomposites, dielectric spectroscopy, relaxations, rubber eXPRESS Polymer Letters Vol.1, No.12 (2007) [837][838][839][840][841][842][843][844][845] Available online at www.expresspolymlett.com DOI: 10.3144/expresspolymlett.2007.116 under control the embedded in a matrix nanocapacitors, defines an energy storing procedure at the nanoscal...