Abstract
Novel polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) latex/carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)/halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) nanocomposites were successfully prepared through physical blending. The as-obtained PVA/SBR/CMC/HNTs nanocomposites were coated on the surface of old corrugated container (OCC)-based paper in an effort to improve the mechanical properties of paper. To improve the dispersion of HNTs and enhance the compatibility between HNTs and polymer matrix, HNTs were modified with titanate coupling agent (TCA). FT-IR, together with TGA, confirmed that TCA was grafted onto the surface of HNTs successfully. XRD demonstrated that the crystal structures of HNTs remained almost unchanged. TEM showed that modified HNTs exhibited good dispersion and possessed nanotubular structures with an outer diameter of around 50 nm and an inner diameter of about 20 nm. SEM gave an indication that modified HNTs were dispersed more uniformly than unmodified HNTs within PVA/SBR/CMC matrix. Rheological measurement exhibited that surface modification process enhanced the compatibility between HNTs and polymer matrix, thus resulting in the decreased viscosity of nanocomposites. In comparison with unmodified HNTs, modified HNTs were found to contribute more to the enhancement in mechanical properties, which might be attributed to the better dispersion and compatibility of modified HNTs evidenced by TEM, SEM, and rheological measurement.
Highlights
HNTs, derived from mineral resources deposited in such countries as China, America, New Zealand, France, and Belgium [1, 2], are naturally occurring aluminosilicate minerals with molecular formula of Al2Si2O5(OH)4⋅nH2O [3]
Ismail et al [18] studied the morphological characteristics and mechanical properties of ethylene-propylene-diene monomer (EPDM) composites filled with HNTs and found that the tensile strength, stiffness, and ductility of EPDM/HNTs nanocomposites were simultaneously enhanced with the added HNTs, Journal of Nanomaterials at a high HNTs loading
These changes in Fourier transformed infrared (FT-IR) spectra demonstrate that titanate coupling agent (TCA) is tightly absorbed on the surface of HNTs by chemisorptions, which is still existed on the surface of the modified particles even after being fully washed by anhydrous ethanol [30]
Summary
HNTs, derived from mineral resources deposited in such countries as China, America, New Zealand, France, and Belgium [1, 2], are naturally occurring aluminosilicate minerals with molecular formula of Al2Si2O5(OH)4⋅nH2O [3]. Much like other nanofillers, the main difficulty in utilization of HNTs in nanocomposites arises from the agglomeration of HNTs and the poor interfacial compatibility between HNTs and polymer matrix [22]. Paper quality is strongly dependent on the structural and chemical properties of paper surface, which is associated with the fibrous matrix and related to the final surface treatment [26]. Surface treatments such as coating and sizing are widely applied in papermaking industry to improve surface strength. The effects of unmodified and modified HNTs on the nanocomposite properties and the subsequent paper properties were studied
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