Modified diatomite forms in the rubber nanocomposites

Abstract

Diatomite is a kind of biomass sedimentary rock, which is widely used in chemical engineering, petroleum, building materials, biomedical medicine, health care and environmental protection, and other fields due to its characteristics of lightweight, large specific surface area, super adsorption, noise and abrasion resistance, thermal properties, and corrosion resistance. The diatomite is similar to silica in the composition structure and can be used as a substitute for silica to reinforce the rubber materials. In this work, the diatomite was modified with different modifiers to fill the rubbers such as natural rubber, styrene–butadiene rubber, butadiene rubber, nitrile butadiene rubber, ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM), chloroprene rubber, methyl vinyl silicone rubber, fluorine rubber (FKM), and acrylic rubber (ACM). The results showed that the obtained formula is the most suitable diatomite modifier for various rubber is Si69, and its amount is 2.5 parts per hundred rubber (phr), and the diatomite content is 20 phr. The diatomite is more suitable for FKM, ACM, and EPDM. The diatomite has better reinforced effect on FKM, EPDM, and ACM than silica, and FKM is the most prominent. The modified diatomite can be uniformly dispersed in the matrix of FKM, EPDM, and ACM; the compatibility is good; and the mechanical properties are excellent. It was demonstrated that the modified diatomite with green environmental protection and low cost can replace silica to reinforce and fill the three kinds of rubbers.