Natural rubber/multiwalled carbon nanotube composites developed with a combined self‐assembly and latex compounding technique

Abstract

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs), with their high aspect ratio and exceptionally high mechanical properties, are excellent fillers for composite reinforcement if they are uniformly dispersed without aggregation. Combining the latex compounding and self-assembly techniques, we prepared a novel natural rubber (NR)/multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) composite. Before self-assembly, the MWCNTs were treated with mixed acid to ensure that the MWCNTs were negatively charged under an alkaline environment. The structure of the MWCNTs was tested with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The properties of composites with different MWCNT loadings were characterized with transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and tensile testing. The results indicate that the MWCNTs were homogeneously distributed throughout the NR matrix as single tubes and had good interfacial adhesion with the NR phase when the MWCNT loading was less than 3 wt %. In particular, the addition of the MWCNT led to a remarkable reinforcement in the tensile strength, with a peak value of 31.4 MPa for an MWCNT content of 2 wt %, compared to the pure prevulcanized NR (tensile strength ¼ 21.9 MPa). The nanocomposites reinforced with MWCNTs should have wide applications because of the notable improvement in these important properties. V C 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 125: [3920][3921][3922][3923][3924][3925][3926][3927][3928] 2012

Microstructure, mechanical, and rheological properties of natural rubber/ethylene propylene diene monomer nanocomposites reinforced by multi‐wall carbon nanotubes

“…It can be seen that the ozone resistance of samples are improved by increasing MWCNT and EPDM content. The improved ozone resistance of the NR/EPDM/MWCNT nanocomposites can be interpreted with the migration of the inorganic particles to the surface, at elevated temperature, because of their relatively low surface potential energy .…”

Effect of coal gangue/carbon black/multiwall carbon nanotubes hybrid fillers on the properties of natural rubber composites

“…The FTIR spectrum of natural CNTs has been reported in Ref. , There only a few weak peaks in the spectra, especially corresponding to the –OH groups and CO groups due to the absorption of water molecules and oxidation of the carbon chains. In Fig.…”

“…A typical procedure was as follows: a certain amount of pristine CNTs was added to a 250‐mL flask charged with H 2 SO 4 –HNO 3 (3:1 v/v) solution . The mixture was heated for 1.5 h and then diluted in a 1000 mL beaker with 800 mL of deionized water.…”

“…As a result of this unique arrangement, it not only display an improvement in mechanical response of the material, but also other properties such as gas barrier, fire resistance, thermal, and electrical conductivities. CNTs have been widely used with different kinds of polymers to obtain beneficial mechanical and physical properties for recent years [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. The results showed that CNTs could effectively improve elastic modulus, stress at a defined elongation, abrasion resistance and electrical properties compared to the CB additive.…”

Nanocarbon Reinforced Rubber Nanocomposites: Detailed Insights about Mechanical, Dynamical Mechanical Properties, Payne, and Mullin Effects

“…In view of this, these carbon containing fillers has been receiving considerable amount of attention as filers in rubber nanocomposites due to their superior properties. When considering all these aspects, the present article reviews mechanical properties, dynamical mechanical properties, Payne, and Mullin effects of NR, SBR, NBR, EPDM, and EVA rubbers filled with graphitic fillers anticipating their superior applications in multifaceted fields [ 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 …”