RUBBER-CLAY NANOCOMPOSITES

The fast pace of research in polymer-clay
nanocomposites has already developed products that
are being used commercially for certain applications
such as automotive with nylon nanocomposites (the
most utilized system) in timing belt cover for
automobiles, and in packaging film. This book
describes the development of rubber clay
nanocomposite with improved mechanical & gas barrier
properties. Styrene-butadiene (SBR)/clay
nanocomposites were synthesized
with clay (montmorillonite) functionalized
with 4 different surfactants (commercially available & developed in lab). The surfactant chain length &
functional groups affected the dispersion of clay
nanolayers in the matrix & the nanocomposite''s
properties. The research developed a partially-
exfoliated nanocomposite with elastic modulus at 25°
C that was 14 times higher than SBR, and oxygen
permeability that was reduced by 60% with 15 wt.%
silicate. This best performance was attributed to
the presence of the vinyl-benzyl group in the
surfactant, providing higher compatibility with SBR
and greater dispersion of the organoclay, increasing
the tortuous path for gas diffusion through the
rubber

Autorentext

Paulo Meneghetti is currently the manager for sand process operations at Momentive Performance Materials. Paulo completed his Ph.D. at Case Western Reserve University & joined Momentive in 2004. From nanocomposites to ceramic composites to finally sand purification processes, powder processing & development have always been his strengths.

Klappentext

The fast pace of research in polymer-clay nanocomposites has already developed products that are being used commercially for certain applications such as automotive with nylon nanocomposites (the most utilized system) in timing belt cover for automobiles, and in packaging film. This book describes the development of rubber clay nanocomposite with improved mechanical & gas barrier properties. Styrene-butadiene (SBR)/clay nanocomposites were synthesized with clay (montmorillonite) functionalized with 4 different surfactants (commercially available & developed in lab). The surfactant chain length & functional groups affected the dispersion of clay nanolayers in the matrix & the nanocomposite's properties. The research developed a partially-exfoliated nanocomposite with elastic modulus at 25°C that was 14 times higher than SBR, and oxygen permeability that was reduced by 60% with 15 wt.% silicate. This best performance was attributed to the presence of the vinyl-benzyl group in the surfactant, providing higher compatibility with SBR and greater dispersion of the organoclay, increasing the tortuous path for gas diffusion through the rubber