Exfoliated Natural Rubber / Montmorillonite Nanocomposites Preparation, Structure And Performance

This paper focuses on the study of natural rubber compound with organicmontmorillonit. Filled with low volume of organic montmorillonite used to replace thereinforcing agent, researching several OMMT effect to natural rubber properties, andselected the best organic montmorillonite, The results of observation show that theorganoclay were exfoliated in the NR matrix.At first, it used different OMMT to compound with natural rubber by directioncompounding, the result show that different OMMT affect natural rubber in differentproperties. No.Ⅰ,Ⅳmontmorillonite and natural rubber composites mechanicalproperties did not change, it works as inert filler, and No.Ⅱ,Ⅲ,Ⅴ,Ⅵmontmorilloniteaffect on natural rubber's mechanical properties are significantly different, especially, themechanical properties improve greatly when use No.ⅢOMMT compound with naturalrubber, and No.ⅢOMMT are selected as the best organic montmorillonite.It successful product of the natural rubber/montmorillonite nanocomposites by usingnatural rubber with different content No.ⅢOMMT by the direct mixing method.Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurement results showed that exfoliationnanocomposites prepared. Montmorillonite lamellar dispersion in rubber matrix uniformin the size of below 10 nm When OMMT amount up to 6phr, it begans to appear obviouspart of intercalated structures. Thus in the study it focus on the content of organicmontmorillonite 1-5phr. When the No.ⅢOMMT only in 1phr, the tensile strength of thenanocomposites reach 19.63MPa from 13.04MPa, and when No.ⅢOMMT up to 3phr,the tensile strength reach 23.41MPa from 13.04MPa, and the tear strength up to34.83Mpa when the OMMT is lphr. Following the previous studies of mechanicalproperties, etc; the thermostability, oil resistance and gas barrier properties of thenanocomposites were characterized by TGA testing, oil and oxygen permeationexperiments. The gas permeation experiments results showed that the oxygen penetrationof nanocomposites decreased 49.4%, so the gas barrier property of nanocompositeimproved remarkably. Finally, based on the schematic TEM photo, the mechanism ofbarrier effect of MMT layers was discussed. The oil resistance value of SI decrease whichmeant the oil resistance of nanocomposites became better than pure NR. TGAmeasurement results showed that the initial degradation temperature increased obviously,that meant the thermostability of nanocomposites improved. In this paper it deeplystudied the relationship of nano-composite materials and the process of the preparation nd orphology. When prepare the pre-gel method of nanocomposites that the montmorillonitelayer dispersed size smaller, more evenly spread.Fill in the composite (carbon black, clay, talc, calcium carbonate, etc.) and naturalrubber with No.ⅢOMMT and prepared the montmorillonite nanocomposites whichproperties is improved. When calcium carbonate (50phr) and natural rubber compoundwith 3phr No.ⅢOMMT its tensile properties improved rom 15.23 MPa to 22MPa.