IPF dresden

In this study, organo-montmorillonite (OMt) was treated with long alkyl chain containing docosanoic acid in order to obtain expanded organo-montmorillonite (EOMt) with increased interlayer distance. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns confirmed the widening of the interlayer space of clay after intercalation of long alkyl chain docosanoic acid. The role of EOMt nanoparticles on the microstructure and fracture mechanical behavior of carbon black (CB) filled natural rubber (NR) composites was investigated. The microstructure of these clay filled NR/CB composites were revealed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Tear Fatigue Analysis (TFA) tests were carried out using pure-shear test specimen under cyclic conditions to explicate the crack growth behavior of CB filled NR in the presence of EOMt. A significant reduction in crack growth rate was noticed in the presence of only 5 phr of EOMt. The viscoelastic properties obtained from the dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) for different CB filled NR–clay composites were utilized to estimate the tearing energy qualitatively using the ‘Persson–Brener’ equation. The reinforcement of rubber matrix was investigated by both the static and dynamic mechanical properties. A synergy in reinforcement between clay nanoparticles and CB was attested by the marked enhancement in both mechanical properties.

A series of long chain fatty acids was intercalated into the interlayer space of organo montmorillonite (OMt) and a gradual expansion of the interlayer space was observed as the chain length of the fatty acid increased. The fatty acid with 22 carbon atoms (docosanoic acid) was found to offer a highest interlayer space among the fatty acids under consideration. This fatty acid was selected further to modify OMt and subsequently utilized as reinforcing fillers in natural rubber (NR) matrix. Wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and contact angle measurement indicated successful intercalation of the fatty acid into the interlayer space of the clay minerals. The main objective of such intercalation is to make clay minerals suitable for the preparation of rubber nanocomposites, especially when using non-polar rubbers. Docosanoic acid intercalated Mt was successfully dispersed in NR matrix as confirmed by WAXD and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). As a result, the mechanical properties were found to be improved in a remarkable way. Improvement of~114% in tensile strength and~203% in modulus at 300% elongation was observed. These results were correlated with the morphological data obtained from WAXD and TEM.

A novel kind of fluoroelastomer nanocomposites based on tube-like halloysite clay mineral were successfully prepared using a bis-phenol curing system, which resulted in prominent improvements in mechanical and dynamic mechanical properties and in the elevation as high as 30 K of the thermal decomposition temperature. Wide-angle X-ray scattering and transmission electron microscopy techniques were employed to assess the morphology developed in the nanocomposites, while stress strain diagrams were used to evaluate the mechanical properties. These nanocomposites were further characterized by moving die rheometer, dynamic mechanical properties and thermo-gravimetric analysis. Structure-properties relationship and the improvement of the mechanical, dynamic mechanical and thermal properties of fluoroelastomers are reported in the present study. Increasing amount of the filler reduced the curing efficiency of the bis-phenol curing system, which was evident from the rheometric and physical properties of the resulting composites. A sort of filler-filler interaction was perceived during the strain sweep analysis of the composites. The polymer-filler interaction was reflected in the improved mechanical and thermal properties which were the consequence of proper dispersion of the nanotubes in the polymer matrix; whereas the intercalation of macromolecular chains into the nanotubes was not reflected in the X-ray diffraction analysis.

A multifunctional additive, bis(diisopropyl) thiophosphoryl diisopropyl disulfide (DIPDIS), was melted in the presence of quaternary ammonium-modified montmorillonite clay and incorporated into an ethylene propylene diene terpolymer (EPDM) rubber matrix as a nanofiller to prepare EPDM rubber nanocomposites. The finer dispersion of the organoclay (OC) in the rubber matrix was observed when the OC was preintercalated by DIPDIS using the propping-open procedure. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results showed that the silicate layers of the OC were successfully preintercalated by the DIPDIS; that is, the basal spacing of clay galleries was expanded from 2.98 to 3.76 nm. Because of the larger interlayer distance, as evidenced by XRD studies, the delamination process was facilitated through the easy intercalation of macromolecular rubber chains, which was reflected in various properties, such as the stress-strain behavior, thermal stability, dynamic mechanical properties and swelling properties. XRD studies and transmission electron microscopy directly supported the effective filler dispersion in the non-polar EPDM rubber matrix.