Cellulose nanofibre enabled natural rubber composites: Microstructure,curing behaviour and dynamic mechanical properties

Traditional rubber industries rely heavily on petroleum-based materials, such as carbon black (CB). The present study aims at mitigating the environmental challenges, through partial replacement of CB, while simultaneously consuming an easily accessible agricultural waste. Accordingly, cellulose nanofibre (CNF) was extracted from wheat-straw using chemo-mechanical process, which in-turn was used for fabrication of CNF enabled rubber nanocomposites. Microstructural observation of CNF confirmed nanometric defibrillation of cellulose. A variety of tests were performed on the nanocomposites towards exploring their structure-property correlations, curing-behaviour, thermal degradability and mechanical (static and dynamic) properties. Overall, considerable enhancement in properties such as tensile strength and strain energy density could be realized, owing to synergistic use of CNF and CB in rubber, allowing for replacement of up to 15 phr CB. These were further augmented by significant improvements in dynamic rolling-resistance, traction and stress-softening behaviour. The results were especially significant, considering that the improvements could be achieved without any modification of CNF surface, thereby establishing its potential for development of environment friendly rubber nanocomposites.     

The effects of a silane coupling agent on curing characteristics and mechanical properties of bamboo fibre filled natural rubber composites

The effects of a silane coupling agent on curing characteristics and mechanical properties of bamboo fibre filled natural rubber composites were studied. Scorch time, t₂ and cure time, t₉₀ of the composites decrease with increasing filler loading and with the presence of a silane coupling agent, Si69. Mooney viscosity also increases with increasing filler loading but at a similar filler loading shows lower value with the presence of Si69. The mechanical properties of composites viz tensile strength, tear strength, hardness and tensile modulus were also improved with the addition of Si69.     

Surface functionalized boehmite sheets filled epoxy composites with enhanced mechanical and thermal properties

Boehmite (AlOOH) sheets were synthesized via a hydrothermal method and then successfully functionalized with a bi‐functional coupling agent, γ‐aminopropyl‐ triethoxysilane (APTES), through a facile neutral solvent method. Scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscopy images showed a uniform morphology of AlOOH sheets. APTES was found to be covalently bound with AlOOH sheets. The linked APTES can be combined with an epoxy oligomer through a ring opening addition reaction. The modified AlOOH was used as reinforcing agent to reinforce the epoxy resin cured by 4,4‐diaminodiphenylsulfone. The results of tensile and differential scanning calorimetric test revealed the tensile strength and glass transition temperature (Tg) firstly increase and then decrease with the increase of functionalized AlOOH sheets loading. When the loading of functionalized AlOOH sheets increased to 5 parts per hundred resin, the highest tensile strength and Tg were obtained. They are 100.8 MPa and 174.5 °C. Microscopic examinations revealed the presence of large plastic deformations at the micronscale in the formed composites in agreement with the observed strengthening effect of functionalized AlOOH sheets. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of compatibilisers on mechanical and thermal properties of bentonite filled polypropylene composites

Bentonite filled polypropylene composites were prepared using a Polydrive Thermo Haake, internal mixer at 180 °C and at 50 rpm of rotor speed. Effect of compatibilisers on mechanical, thermal, water absorption and morphological properties of bentonite filled polypropylene composites was investigated. Two types of compatibilisers namely, palm oil fatty acid additive (POFA) and polypropylene grafted-maleic anhydride (PPMAH) have been used in this study. The mixing of the composites improved with the addition of POFA. The impact strength and elongation at break increased with the presence of both compatibilisers whilst, tensile strength and Young's modulus improved only with addition of PPMAH. Morphological investigation using SEM revealed that the improvement in impact strength and elongation at break was due to enhancement of the interfacial adhesion between bentonite and PP. The thermal stability of bentonite filled PP improved with the incorporation of POFA and PPMAH. Less percentage of water absorption has been observed in PP-bentonite system with PPMAH.     

Dielectric,magnetic and mechanical properties of ferrite composites

The dielectric and magnetic properties of carbonyl—iron (CI) and nickel zinc ferrite polymer composites were studied with respect to the ferrite particulate content and microwave frequency. From the experimental data and using empirical models that relate the composite dielectric and magnetic properties, the respective dielectric and magnetic properties of the neat fillers were estimated. The tensile properties of the particulate composites comprising CI were shown to follow qualitatively Mooney's equation for the elastic modulus. The tensile strength of an elastomeric polyurethane and PVC composites containing CI increased with particulate content, while the elongation to break decreased with filler content. SEM micrographs of tensile fracture surfaces indicated that somewhat better adhesion is obtained in the case of the polyurethane-based composites compared to the PVC ones.     

Effects of rubber type on the curing and physical properties of silica filled rubber compounds

As environmental regulations are getting stricter, tire industries for automobiles have shown much interest in substituting silica for conventional carbon black partially or entirely. To take full advantage of silica as fillers for rubbers, it is essential to find a reasonable rubber system that shows an excellent performance with silica reinforcement. Therefore, in this study, several different rubber compounds comprising the same amount of silica were prepared with several different rubber systems, respectively. The processability, curing characteristics, and mechanical and viscoelastic properties of the rubber compounds were investigated to analyze the performance of the rubber compounds as tire tread materials. Among the rubber compounds studied, SBR1721 compound comprising natural rubber (NR) and styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) with high styrene content was considered the most appropriate for application to tire tread materials. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Influences of coupling agent on thermal properties, flammability and mechanical properties of polypropylene/thermoplastic polyurethanes composites filled with expanded graphite

In this study, polypropylene (PP)/thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU) filled with inorganic intumescent flame retardant expanded graphite (EG) was prepared by melt blending in a twin-screw extruder. The thermal stability, fire retardancy, mechanical properties, and fracture morphology of PP/TPU composites with treated and untreated EG were investigated by thermogravimetric analysis, cone calorimeter, and scanning electron microscope. The results showed that both untreated and treated EG can greatly enhance the thermal stability and fire resistance of polymer matrix materials. Compared with untreated EG, treated EG can further improve the flame retardancy of the composites. For example, treated EG can further reduce the heat release rate, total heat release, and CO emissions of the composites in the combustion. Surface treatment of EG could significantly improve elongation at break and impact strength of PP/TPU/EG composites due to its enhanced interfacial adhesion and the good dispersion of EG particles in the polymer matrix.     

Tailoring the structural,morphological, optical,cytotoxicity, and antibacterial properties of low temperature calcined nickel ferrite nanoparticles

Journal of Sol-Gel Science and Technology - Polycrystalline spinel nickel ferrite nanoparticles were prepared by employing sol–gel auto combustion method. The as-prepared nanoparticles were...     

不同硫化体系天然橡胶复合材料力学性能的影响

研究了不同硫化体系对炭黑填充天然橡胶力学性能的影响。结果表明,以N-(氧化二亚乙基)-2-苯并噻唑次磺酰胺(NOBS)为主促进剂的四种硫化体系中,半有效硫化体系硫化的橡胶的综合性能最好。在以N-环己基-2-苯骈噻唑次磺酰胺(CBS)+2-硫醇基苯骈噻唑(M)为促进剂的四种硫化体系中,用普通硫化体系(CV)硫化得到的碳黑/天然橡胶的综合性能最优。本文还研究了不同硫化体系对炭黑/碳纳米管填充天然橡胶力学性能的影响,结果表明,普通硫化体系(CV)硫化得到的碳纳米管/碳黑/天然橡胶的综合性能最优。     

Structural,morphological and magnetic properties of nano-crystalline zinc substituted cobalt ferrite system

Nano-crystalline zinc-substituted cobalt ferrite powders, Co_1−xZn_xFe₂O₄ (x = 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1), have been synthesized by the combustion route. The structural, morphological and magnetic properties of the products were determined and characterized in detail by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). X-ray analysis showed that the samples were cubic spinel. The increase in zinc concentration resulted in an increase in the lattice constant, unit cell volume, X-ray density, ionic radii, the distance between the magnetic ions and bond lengths on tetrahedral sites and octahedral sites of cubic spinel structure. Opposite behavior was observed for the average crystallite size of the as synthesized solids. The variation of saturation magnetization (M_s) value of the samples was studied. The maximum saturation magnetization value of the Co_o.25Zn_0.75Fe₂O₄ sample reached 76.87 emu/g. The high saturation magnetization of these samples suggests that this method is suitable for preparing high-quality nano-crystalline magnetic ferrites for practical applications.     

Effect of electron beam irradiation on dynamic mechanical,thermal and morphological properties of LLDPE and PDMS rubber blends

The effect of electron beam irradiation on the blends of linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) and poly dimethyl siloxane rubber (PDMS) prepared over a wide range of compositions starting from 70:30 to 30:70 (LLDPE: PDMS) by varying the radiation doses from 50 to 300 kGy has been studied. The dynamic modulii and dielectric strength of the blends increase on irradiation at 100 kGy as compared to that for the unirradiated blends. Degree of crystallinity and melting behaviour remain unchanged upon irradiation upto a dose of 100 kGy, beyond which it decreases. Thermal stability increases with increase in the proportion of PDMS rubber in the blend as well as on irradiation at 100 kGy. The phase morphology of the blends examined under the SEM exhibit two phase morphology before electron beam irradiation, whereas single phase morphology is observed after electron beam irradiation due to intra- as well as inter-molecular crosslinking leading to a miscible system.     

Crystallization properties and thermal stability of polypropylene composites filled with wollastonite

The influence of wollastonite (CaSiO₃) content on the crystallization properties and thermal stability of polypropylene (PP) composites was investigated. The results showed that the crystallization temperature, crystallization end temperature and crystallization temperature interval, as well as the degree of crystallinity of the composites, were higher than those of the unfilled PP resin, while the crystallization onset temperature was little changed from that of the unfilled PP resin. The increase of degree of crystallinity for the composites could be attributed to the heterogeneous nucleation of the CaSiO₃ in the PP matrix. The thermal stability increased with increasing filler weight fraction (ϕ_f); the thermal decomposition rate decreased nonlinearly with increasingϕ_f. Finally, the dispersion of the filler particles in the matrix was observed, and the mechanisms of thermal stability and crystallizing behavior were discussed.     

Biobased epoxy/carbon fiber composites: Effect on mechanical,thermo-mechanical and morphological properties

Biobased epoxy was synthesized from diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) and epoxidized castor oil (ECO) at a ratio of 80:20. Carbon fiber (CF) was used as a reinforcing agent to fabricate composites using biobased epoxy as matrix. Mechanical, Thermal and morphological properties of neat epoxy and biobased epoxy composites were investigated. Mechanical test results revealed that the composites prepared using five plies were higher than those with three plies and one ply respectively. This phenomenon revealed the effective reinforcing effect of carbon fiber due to its higher strength and higher crosslinking density. The composites also demonstrate high damping behavior as compared with neat epoxy and biobased epoxy blend. With increasing number of plies the composites thermal properties also shows an improvement. The SEM micrographs of the composites depicted that the biobased epoxy was fully adhered to the carbon fiber, thus representing a strong interface between CF/epoxy matrix.     

Dielectric,thermal, and mechanical properties of CeO2‐filled HDPE composites for microwave substrate applications

Cerium oxide‐filled high density polyethylene (HDPE) composites for microwave substrate applications were prepared by sigma‐blend technique. The HDPE was used as the matrix and the dispersion of CeO₂ in the composite was varied up to 0.5 by volume fraction, and the dielectric properties were studied at 1 MHz and microwave frequencies. The variations of thermal conductivity (k_eff), coefficient of thermal expansion (α_c) and Vicker's microhardness with the volume fraction of the filler were also measured. The relative permittivity (ε_eff) and dielectric loss (tan δ) were found to increase with increase in CeO₂ content. For 0.4 volume fraction loading of the ceramic, the composite had ε_eff = 5.7, tan δ = 0.0068 (at 7 GHz), k_eff = 2.6 W/m °C, α_c = 98.5 ppm/°C, Vicker's microhardness of 18 kg/mm² and tensile strength of 14.6 MPa. Different theoretical approaches have been used to predict the effective permittivity, thermal conductivity, and coefficient of thermal expansion of composite systems and the results were compared with the experimental data. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 48: 998–1008, 2010     

Effect of nano-barium titanate on thermal stability of ferrite filled poly-ether-ether-ketone (PEEK) composites

The reinforcement of nano-barium titanate in ferrite filled poly-ether-ether-ketone (PEEK) composites caused a shift in the decomposition temperature, at which maximum mass loss occurred, to higher side and enhancement in char yield in thermogravimetric analysis. Loss tangent and glass transition temperature of ferrite filled PEEK composites were also found to be increased with the reinforcement of nano barium titanate. The effect of nano barium titanate on the melting behaviour of ferrite filled PEEK composites was negligible. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Cross‐linking and properties of rubber magnetic composites cured with different curing systems

Rubber magnetic composites were prepared by incorporation of strontium ferrite into rubber compounds based on acrylonitrile butadiene rubber and ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber. The sulfur, peroxide, and mixed sulfur/peroxide curing systems were introduced as cross‐linking agents for rubber matrices. The aim was to investigate the influence of curing system composition on curing process and cross‐link density of composite materials. Then, static and dynamic mechanical properties and thermal and magnetic characteristics were investigated in relation to the cross‐link density of rubber magnetic composites and structure of the formed cross‐links. The changes of dynamical and physicomechanical properties were in close correlation with the change of cross‐link density, whereas the tensile strength of magnetic composites showed increasing trend with increasing amount of peroxide in mixed curing systems. On the other hand, thermal conductivity and magnetic characteristics were found not to be dependent on the curing system composition.     

The reinforcing effect of clay on the mechanical properties of nitric acid–treated fluorosilicone rubber filled PI composites

The mechanical behaviour of fluorosilicone rubber–filled PI composites with and without clay was investigated. The clay filled fluorosilicone rubber composite had the highest interlaminar shear strength value of all the combinations because its higher bond strength may have hindered a large fibre/matrix debonding. The maximum tensile strength was observed for 20 vol% fluorosilicone rubber/PI/5vol%clay composite. The interlaminar shear strength of clay filled fluorosilicone rubber/PI composite was greater than that of fluorosilicone rubber/PI composite, which shows that the adhesion factor of the combination of the PI and fluorosilicone rubber was greater.