Study on Mechanical Properties of NR/ BR/Organoclay Nanocomposite

With the introduction of fillers of nano particle size and layered silicates, polymeric nanocomposites with markedly improved properties have been developed [1]. The high reinforcing effect of layered silicate, even at low loading, is largely due to the nanoscale dispersion and the very high aspect ratio of silicate platelets [2].Smectite clays have layered structure and exist in nature in abundance; they are of particular interest as inorganic filler. The smectite clays are hydrophilic and can be modified with various organic chemicals to render them more hydrophobic, thus improving the compatibility between the clay and the hydrophobic polymers. Modification expands interlayer distance of the layered silicate and reduces the surface energy. These nano-sized reinforcing materials have dramatically increased surface area compared with conventional-sized reinforcing materials [3].To the best of our knowledge, the effect of organoclay on blend of natural rubber and butadiene rubber (NR/BR blend) has not been studied and reported until now. In this study attempts have been made to prepare nanocomposite based on NR/BR/organoclay through using melt intercalation method. The compounds contained different amount of organoclay. Then the structure of prepared nanocomposites and its effect on mechanical properties of the compounds were investigated and reported