Chemical and physical properties of self-crosslinked poly(vinyl chloride)/nitrile rubber nanocomposites prepared by melt-mixing process

Abstract

Abstract In this article, poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC)/acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBR)/clay nanocomposites were melt-mixed using the computerized Brabender plasticorder. During preparation of the nanocomposites self-crosslinking (crosslinking without aid of any crosslinking agent) occurs and affects all properties of a sample. The extent of crosslinking reaction depends on the processing temperature, rotor speed and mixing temperature and it increased with increasing each of mixing parameters. The mechanism of the self-crosslinking reaction was examined by the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy test. The morphology of the materials was characterized using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope. The swelling test and tensile test were applied to distinguish the effects of self-crosslinking phenomena on physical properties of NBR/PVC nanocomposites. Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis tests of nanocomposites were also performed to study the physical properties, such as glass transition temperature (T g). The results showed that the crosslinking reaction made a material more strong with high modulus and tensile strength. Thus, it can be deduced that crosslinks convert the NBR/PVC nanocomposites to stiffer materials that are less penetrable by the solvent. The results drawn from the loss tangent (tan δ) curves of nanocomposite samples can be used as further evidence for the above conclusions.