Study of NBR/PVC/OMMT Nanocomposites Prepared by Mechanical Blending

The effect of organo-montmorillonite (OMMT) on the properties of acrylonitrilebutadiene rubber/polyvinyl chloride/OMMT (NBR/PVC/OMMT) nanocompositesis studied. Four different types of organo-modified OMMT were examined inNBR/PVC blend systems and an optimum type of OMMT (FMR11) was found bycharacterizing the mechanical properties of NBR/PVC/OMMT hybrids. Then,NBR/PVC/OMMT nanocomposites with various amounts of FMR11 were prepared bydirect mechanical blending. The dispersion of OMMT layers and morphology of thenanocomposites were determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electronmicroscope (TEM). Mechanical properties, solvent resistance and thermal stability ofnanocomposites were also investigated. TEM revealed that OMMT layers disperseuniformly in NBR/PVC matrix in nano-scale. XRD patterns revealed the intercalation ofpolymer chains inside the OMMT layer gallery. The tensile strength and tear strengthof nanocomposites based on 6.0 phr OMMT improved by 50.0% and 36.9%,respectively compared to gum NBR/PVC hybrids. Solvent resistance properties ofnanocomposites showed improvement with higher OMMT contents, which contribute tothe excellent barrier effect of OMMT layers.