Effect of surfactants on MWNT filled elastomer composites by latex mixing

Abstract

The recent interest in advanced elastomer composites has led to an intensive study of nanomaterials, which exhibit a range of excellent chemical and physical properties. The advent of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) has created attractive opportunities for developing novel high performance nanomaterials. However, due to their strong van der Waals binding energies, CNTs have a tendency to aggregate, and so disaggregation and homogeneous dispersion remain critical challenges to the synthesis of successful elastomer composites. Here, we prepared a non‐covalently functionalized CNT suspension using a surfactant, without degrading the physical and chemical properties of the CNTs. Furthermore, the suspension was mixed with styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) latex to enhance the dispersion of the CNTs in the elastomer matrix. The eco‐friendly, cost‐effective, and scalable preparation method shows great potential for the production of elastomer nanocomposites. The successful homogenous dispersion of the MWNT in the SBR matrix resulted in composites with outstanding mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties at low loadings. Furthermore, to confirm their potential use in green (uncured) tyre applications, we employed them directly as fillers in the tread compounds of a pneumatic tyre, which exhibited enhanced abrasion, wet grip, and rolling resistance performance. This research opens new opportunities for preparing high performance elastomer composites for future industrial applications. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 58:1843–1848, 2018. © 2017 Society of Plastics Engineers