ABSTRACT
Comparison between epoxidised natural rubber (ENR) and natural rubber (NR) filled with organoclay in terms of curing characteristics, tensile properties, thermal stability and morphology were studied. Organoclay loadings from 2 to 10 phr loading were used in this study. The nanocomposites were compounded using laboratory-sized two roll mills and cured at 150°C. The results indicate that the tensile strength and tensile modulus reached a maximum at 8 phr of organoclay, but elongation at break and thermal stability increased with increasing organoclay loading. Overall results show that organoclay-filled ENR nanocomposites exhibited shorter processing time and higher tensile properties than organoclay-filled NR nanocomposites. The enhanced properties were due to the homogenous dispersion of individual silicate layers in the ENR matrix, which is shown in the X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results.
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