Multiscale Reinforcement of Polymers Combining Cellulosic Wood Pulp with Layered Silicate Nanoplatelets

Synergies resulting from the combination of discontinuous reinforcing elements at two different size scales are examined in two polymer types — rubbery matrices comprising acrylonitrile-co-butadiene (NBR) elastomer and a high density polyethylene plastic. The latter is derived from a recycled post-consumer waste stream that is upgraded by the reinforcement to compensate for any degradation experienced during prior use or impurities introduced during recycling. The two reinforcements are wood pulp at the microscale and exfoliating layered silicate clays at the nanoscale. Appropriate compatibilizing agents are employed to allow wetting of the reinforcement with the polymer matrix, promote dispersion and provide a strong interface. In general, the microscale elements provide mechanical strengthening in tension, while the nanoscale reinforcements enhance stiffening and reduce failure propagation by tearing. The use of natural reinforcements and recycled feedstocks imparts environmental acceptability to such formulations.     

Reinforcement effects of multiwall carbon nanotubes in elastomeric matrices: Comparison with other types of fillers

Mechanical and electrical properties of composites based on butyl rubber and multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) are investigated. Gradual increases in elastic moduli are observed with the filler content. It was found that the degree of strain affects the electrical resistivity. Finally, the level of reinforcement imparted to a rubbery matrix by carbon nanotubes is compared with that provided by other types of fillers such as carbon black, clay fibers or layered silicates.     

Some new developments in rubber reinforcement

The reinforcement of natural rubber provided by in-situ generated silica is compared with that obtained with anisotropic particles such as nanofibers of sepiolite. In addition, the effect of a dual loading is also investigated. Compared with networks filled with a single type of filler (sepiolite or in-situ generated silica), the samples containing two types of fillers display high modulus but less extensibility.     

Effect of curing temperature,fibre loading and bonding agent on the equilibrium swelling of isora-natural rubber composites

Isora fibre-reinforced natural rubber (NR) composites were cured at 80, 100, 120 and 150°C using a low temperature curing accelerator system. Composites were also prepared using a conventional accelerator system and cured at 150°C. The swelling behavior of these composites at varying fibre loadings was studied in toluene and hexane. Results show that the uptake of solvent and volume fraction of rubber due to swelling was lower for the low temperature cured vulcanizates which is an indication of the better fibre/rubber adhesion. The uptake of aromatic solvent was higher than that of aliphatic solvent, for all the composites. As the fibre content increased, the solvent uptake decreased, due to the superior solvent resistance of the fibre and good fibre–rubber interactions. The bonding agent improved the swelling resistance of the composites due to the strong interfacial adhesion. Due to the improved adhesion between the fibre and rubber, the ratio of the change in volume fraction of rubber due to swelling to the volume fraction of rubber in the dry sample (V_τ ) was found to decrease in the presence of bonding agent. At a fixed fibre loading, the alkali treated fibre composite showed a lower percentage swelling than untreated one for both systems showing superior rubber–fibre interactions.     

Sliding Wear Studies on Aluminium–Copper Composites

Metal–metal composites are prepared by dispersing copper particulates in an aluminium matrix using stir-cast technique. Behaviour of the same is compared with the alloy having similar composition. Wear behaviour of the alloy in the cast condition is superior to the homogenized condition, though cast structure exhibit low hardness compared to the other. This is attributed to the easy crack propagation along the CuAl₂ precipitates in the homogenized condition, compared to the grain boundary in the as-cast structure. Wear properties of the resultant composite are superior to the alloy. Effect of particulate composition is studied by varying the copper concentration between 5 and 15 wt%. Composites with high copper content exhibit better wear resistance than the dilute ones, which is attributed to the increased hardness due to large population of intermetallics.