Enhanced Fatigue and Durability Properties of Natural Rubber Composites Reinforced with Carbon Nanotubes and Graphene Oxide.

Fibrous carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and lamellar graphene oxide (GO) exhibit significant advantages for improving the fatigue properties of rubber composites. In this work, the synergistic effect of CNTs and GO on the modification of the microstructure and fatigue properties of natural rubber (NR) was comprehensively investigated. Results showed that CNTs and GO were interspersed, and they formed a strong filler network in the NR matrix.

Thermoplastic Dynamic Vulcanizates with In Situ Synthesized Segmented Polyurethane Matrix.

The aim of this paper was the detailed investigation of the properties of one-shot bulk polymerized thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs) produced with different processing temperatures and the properties of thermoplastic dynamic vulcanizates (TDVs) made by utilizing such in situ synthetized TPUs as their matrix polymer. We combined TPUs and conventional crosslinked rubbers in order to create TDVs by dynamic vulcanization in an internal mixer. The rubber phase was based on three different rubber types: acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBR), carboxylated acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (XNBR), and epoxidized natural rubber (ENR).

Microwave Devulcanized Crumb Rubbers in Polypropylene Based Thermoplastic Dynamic Vulcanizates.

Because of the chemically crosslinked 3D molecular structure of rubbers, their recycling is a challenging task, especially when cost efficiency is also considered. One of the most straightforward procedures is the grinding of discarded rubber products with subsequent devulcanization. The devulcanized rubber can be used as a feedstock for fresh rubber compounds or can be blended with uncured virgin rubber and thermoplastic polymers to form thermoplastic dynamic vulcanizates (TDVs).

Phase Morphology and Mechanical Properties of Cyclic Butylene Terephthalate Oligomer-Containing Rubbers: Effect of Mixing Temperature.

In this work, the effect of mixing temperature (T) on the mechanical, rheological, and morphological properties of rubber/cyclic butylene terephthalate (CBT) oligomer compounds was studied. Apolar (styrene butadiene rubber, SBR) and polar (acrylonitrile butadiene rubber, NBR) rubbers were modified by CBT (20 phr) for reinforcement and viscosity reduction. The mechanical properties were determined in tensile, tear, and dynamical mechanical analysis (DMTA) tests.

Insight into the structure of polymer-silica nano-composites prepared by vapor-phase.

Using a new synthesis technique, in which mesoporous Amberlite XAD7HP resin beads swollen with TEOS were exposed to vapors of either (H2O+HCl) or (H2O+NH3), we obtained smooth, porous, mechanically stable silica gel spheres after burning out the sacrificial organic template. Combined N2 sorption, SEM, TEM, (29)Si NMR, and Raman measurements were used to characterize the physical properties and molecular structures of the intermediate and final gels. Our atomically resolved TEM pictures provide the first visual demonstration of the presence of 3 to 6 member siloxane rings predicted by our Raman studies and other indirect methods.