Effects of Recycled Polyethylene on Natural Rubber Composite Blends Filled with Aluminum Trihydroxide and Polyurethane Waste: Mechanical and Dynamic Mechanical Properties, Flammability.

This research studies natural rubber (NR) composite blends prepared with recycled polyethylene (PE), polyurethane waste (PU), silica (SiO), and aluminum trihydroxide (ATH) under the proper mixing conditions using an internal mixer and a two-roll mill. The mechanical, impact, dynamic mechanical, and thermal properties, together with flammability, were investigated. NR/PU composites filled with a specific SiO/ATH concentration resulted in excellent flame-retardant properties without using PE.

Increase in Properties and Self-Healing Ability of Conductive Butyl Rubber/Epoxidized Natural Rubber Composites by Using Bis(triethoxysilylpropyl)tetrasulfide Coupling Agent.

Flexible self-healing composite was fabricated based on blending the bromobutyl rubber (BIIR) and epoxide natural rubber (ENR) filled with hybrid fillers of carbon nanotubes (CNT) and carbon black (CB). To achieve self-recoverability, modification of BIIR was carried out through butyl imidazole (IM), and the healing capability was then activated by the addition of bis(triethoxysilylpropyl)tetrasulfide (TESPT), which resulted in good dispersion of CNT/CB in BIIR/ENR blends. The silanization of TESPT and CNT/CB hybrid filler surfaces was confirmed by attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy.

High Performance of Titanium Dioxide Reinforced Acrylonitrile Butadiene Rubber Composites.

Recently, dielectric elastomer actuators (DEA) have emerged as one of the most promising materials for use in soft robots. However, DEA needs a high operating voltage and high mechanical properties. By increasing the dielectric constant of elastomeric materials, it is possible to decrease the operating voltage required.