Abstract
In this article, halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) and precipitated silica were replaced by recycled polyethylene terephthalate powder (R-PET) in natural rubber composites. Five different compositions of NR/HNTs/R-PET and NR/Silica/R-PET composites [i.e. 100/20/0, 100/15/5, 100/10/10, 100/5/15, and 100/0/20 parts per hundred rubber (phr)] were prepared on a two-roll-mill. Comparison of the curing behavior, tensile properties, and morphological characteristics of natural rubber composites was studied. The results indicated that the replacement of HNTs and silica by R-PET decreased the tensile strength, tensile modulus, and elongation at break of composites, but NR/Silica/R-PET composites showed the lower trend than that NR/HNTs/R-PET did. The negative effect of these properties could be explained by the decrement of crosslink density, R-PET is unable to be transferred the stress due to the weal rubber-fillers interactions, and the reducing of ductility of rubber matrix. The curing results revealed that, with replacement of HNTs and Silica by R-PET, the scorch time (ts2) and cure time (tc90) were decreased. Scanning electron microscopy investigation of tensile fracture surfaces confirmed that co-incorporation of NR/HNTs/R-PET would improve the dispersion of R-PET and enhanced the interactions between fillers and NR matrix rather than NR/Silica/R-PET composites.
Published Version
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