NBR Phase Research Articles

Facile preparation of SAN/NBR TPV with balanced stiffness-toughness via metal-ligand coordination-induced dynamic vulcanization and in situ interfacial compatibilization

In this work, metal-ligand coordination interaction was utilized to induce the dynamic vulcanization (DV) of styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer (SAN)/butadiene acrylonitrile rubber (NBR)/cupric sulfate (CuSO4) TPVs. The TPVs exhibited co-continuous structure, in which the CuSO4 particles distributed in continuous NBR network to cross-link NBR phase through interaction between Cu2+ and nitrile groups (-CN), enhancing the mechanical strength and thickness of NBR network. CuSO4 particles were refined to nanoparticles during DV, and then migrated to SAN/NBR interface and interacted with SAN and NBR simultaneously to realize in-situ compatibilization, resulting in efficient toughening of SAN without sacrificing its stiffness. With 20 phr CuSO4, the TPVs showed excellent impact toughness of 104.51 kJ/m2, which was 58 times that of the neat SAN. Meanwhile, the TPVs exhibited improved tensile strength, elongation at break, tensile toughness and Young's modulus, revealing the balanced stiffness-toughness properties of TPVs. We propose a feasible approach to fabricate high-performance TPVs, and it may expand the research scope of dynamic vulcanization.

IMPROVING THE PROPERTIES OF NR/NBR BLEND BY INTRODUCING INTERFACIAL CROSSLINKS USING BISMALEIMIDE DURING THE INITIAL PHASE OF ACCELERATED SULFUR CURING

ABSTRACT To develop a technologically compatible blend of NR and NBR is always a challenge due to their polarity mismatch. As a result, the physico-mechanical properties of their blends are generally poor. To address this issue, an attempt was made to increase the uniform distribution of crosslinks across the blend phases at the time of molding at 170°C. A cure composition consisting of sulfur (S) and a delayed action accelerator (N-cyclohexyl-2-benzothiazole sulfenamide [CBS]) has been designed to co-crosslink both phases of the blend simultaneously. The tensile properties, particularly the tensile strength (TS) of the blend cured by this method, were superior (∼371% greater) than the TS of the blend cured using a combination of S/CBS and an ultrafast accelerator (tetramethylthiuram disulfide [TMTD]). A bifunctional maleimide (Maleide F) was also used in conjunction with S/CBS in the curing recipe to further improve the distribution of sulfidic crosslinks by reducing the interfacial tension between the NR and NBR phases via Alder-ene reaction.

A renewable lignin-based thermoplastic adhesive for steel joining

Adhesive bonding of metals has become increasingly relevant in recent years due to the demand for reducing weight and improving performance in structural applications such as automobiles and aerospace. We developed renewable thermoplastic adhesives from technical organosolv lignin isolated from hardwood biomass and acrylonitrile butadiene co-polymer rubber (NBR) for joining steel substrates. NBR33, NBR41 and NBR51 with acrylonitrile molar ratios of 33, 41 and 51%, respectively, were blended with lignin to form two-phase thermoplastic adhesives, and their adhesion, viscoelastic and surface properties were measured. Lignin content in the compositions were varied, ranging from 40% to 80% (w/w), to alter toughness, stiffness, and surface energy characteristics of the material. Better interaction or reactivity between the lignin and NBR phases was observed with greater nitrile content in NBR, leading to greater modulus and stiffness of the adhesive. Simultaneously, increasing the proportion of lignin reduced toughness and improved stiffness, with the highest adhesive strength of 13.1 MPa measured in a 60% lignin loading ratio with NBR51. Surface energy measurements revealed that total surface energy (sum of polar and dispersive surface energy) raised with lignin loading, suggesting that both surface energy and matrix strength play a critical role in the adhesive properties of the synthesized materials. A finite element-based cohesive zone model (CZM) was developed and implemented to study the failure strength of the adhesively bonded joint. This study demonstrates the viability of lignin as a valuable building block for adhesives, not only due to its inherent chemical structure and rigidity, but also for its surface energy characteristics.

Fracture behavior, microstructure, and mechanical properties of PA6/NBR nanocomposites

AbstractPolyamide 6/Acrylonitrile butadiene rubber/Perlite nanocomposites with different percentages of NBR phase and perlite nanoparticle were prepared using the melt mixing process. The fracture behavior of PA6/NBR/Perlite nanocomposites was studied by the essential work of fracture method (EWF). Furthermore, response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to evaluate the effect of input variables, namely NBR and perlite content, on fracture behavior and Young's modulus of these nanocomposites. Scanning electron microscopy was used as a method for studying the morphology of the thermoplastic elastomer matrix containing different percentages of NBR elastomer and perlite nanoparticles. The results confirmed that, with controlling input variables, the optimum conditions of the system could be obtained, which leads to an improvement in fracture behavior and modulus strength of PA6/NBR/Perlite nanocomposites. RSM results illustrated that Young's modulus is increased from 2539 to 2862 MPa with an increase in perlite content from 3 to 7 wt%, when NBR content is 20 wt%. Moreover, Elongation at break is increased from 59.8% for 20 wt% NBR elastomer up to 102.8% for 40 wt%. The results of the EWF test illustrated that the samples with 30 and 10 wt%. NBR and 5 wt% perlite, have the maximum values of essential work of fracture (283.8 N/mm) and nonessential work of fracture (22.2 N/mm2), respectively.

Experimental and Simulation Studies on Nonwoven Polypropylene-Nitrile Rubber Blend: Recycling of Medical Face Masks to an Engineering Product.

The battle against the COVID-19 pandemic counters the waste management system, as billions of single-use face masks are used per day all over the world. Proper disposal of used face masks without jeopardizing the health and the environment is a challenge. Herein, a novel method for recycling of medical face masks has been studied. This method incorporates the nonwoven polypropylene (PP) fiber, which is taken off from the mask after disinfecting it, with acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) using maleic anhydride as the compatibilizer, which results in a PP–NBR blend with a high percentage economy. The PP–NBR blends show enhanced thermomechanical properties among which, 70 wt % PP content shows superior properties compared to other composites with 40, 50, and 60 wt % of PP. The fully Atomistic simulation of PP-NBR blend with compatibilizer shows an improved tensile and barrier properties, which is in good agreement with the experimental studies. The molecular dynamics simulation confirms that the compatibility between non-polar PP and polar NBR phases are vitally important for increasing the interfacial adhesion and impeding the phase separation.

Material properties and phase behavior of crosslinkable acrylonitrile‐butadiene copolymer/ethylene vinyl acetate/carbon black composites

AbstractCrosslinkable composites of ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA)/acrylonitrile‐butadiene copolymer (NBR)/carbon black (CB) finds widespread use in industrial applications. Crosslinking and phase behavior and resulting mechanical properties have been reported, but a systematic investigation as a function of varying molecular architecture is still elusive. The present work combines an experimental and theoretical approach to understand the phase morphology and physical properties of crosslinked EVA/NBR/CB polymer composites. Crosslinking behavior is studied by varying the functionality content in the two polymers. A theoretical model was developed to calculate and predict the overall phase behavior of the composites as well as the preferential solubility of the peroxide in the phases. The phase morphology of the immiscible EVA/NBR polymer blend investigated clearly showed two distinct phases with the NBR phase dispersed in the continuous EVA phase and the CB particles tend to reside at the interface. The influence of varying molecular architecture and functionality of the NBR and EVA on material properties was investigated and did not significantly contribute to the crosslinking and tensile behavior of the composites. The mechanical properties were found to correlate with the degree of crosslinking and CB loading.

Effect of accelerator solubility on the curing characteristics and physico-mechanical properties of SBR/NBR blends: correlation with feeding sequence and blend composition

The main objective of this study was to investigate how the effect of accelerator solubility in the blend components on the curing characteristics and mechanical properties of blend and its components could be affected by the accelerator feeding sequence to the blend and the blend composition. For this purpose, the properties of styrene-butadiene copolymer rubber (SBR)/acrylonitrile-butadiene copolymer rubber (NBR) (50/50 and 75/25 wt%/wt%) blends cured using the sulfur curing system with only one of accelerators, zinc dibutyldithiocarbamate (ZDBC) and zinc diethyldithiocarbamate (ZDEC), or with a combination of them as well as the properties of the vulcanized components (SBR and NBR) were examined. The EDX results revealed that ZDBC and sulfur are more localized in the SBR phase of SBR/NBR blends, while ZDEC is more located in the NBR phase. The accelerators feeding sequence to the blend in the way that each accelerator was loaded in an appropriate elastomer phase in terms of solubility could improve the curing characteristics and tensile mechanical properties of the blend, especially for 50/50 blend with a co-continuous morphology.

Modeling and Optimization of Mechanical Properties of PA6/NBR/Graphene Nanocomposite Using Central Composite Design

Thermoplastic elastomer of PA6/NBR reinforced by various nanoparticles have wide application in many industries. The properties of these materials depend on PA6, NBR, and nanoparticle amount and characteristics. In this study, the simultaneous effect of NBR and graphene nanoparticle content on mechanical, thermal properties, and morphology of PA6/NBR/Graphene nanocomposites investigated by Central Composite Design (CCD). Thermal properties and morphology of PA6/NBR/Graphene nanocomposites were investigated by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The results indicate that a small percentage of error between predicted values of mechanical properties and experimental values was achieved. An increase in graphene content have a positive impact on the tensile strength but increasing the NBR phase has the opposite effect. A maximum tensile strength of 35.3 MPa for PA6/NBR/Graphene nanocomposites was obtained at the NBR and graphene content of 20 %wt and 1.5 %wt, respectively. The thermal behavior of the PA6/NBR blend improved with addition graphene. With the addition of 1.5 % graphene content to PA6/NBR blend, the crystallization temperature and melting temperature increased from 192.1 to 196.2 °C and 221.1 to 223.4 °C, respectively.

Design of thermoplastic vulcanizates induced by metal-ligand coordination towards enhanced mechanical properties and shape memory behavior

It remains a challenge to prepare thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs)-based composites with multi-functions and enhanced mechanical properties simultaneously. Here, metal-ligand coordination was introduced into dynamic vulcanization to fabricate styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer (SAN)/butadiene acrylonitrile rubber (NBR)/iron chloride (FeCl3) TPVs. Fe3+ could not only interact with the nitrile groups (-CN) of NBR to cross-link the rubber phase, but also interact with the –CN of SAN to realize the interfacial compatibilization, enhancing the mechanical properties of the TPVs. Significantly, the dynamic nature of Fe3+-CN interactions endowed the TPVs with reconfigurable network-like rubber phase and excellent recycling ability. The coordination interaction and network-like structure of the NBR phase enabled the TPVs into shape memory materials with shape recovery ratio of 91.53%. We propose a novel technique to prepare TPVs with high performance and multi-functionality, and it may expand the research scope of dynamic vulcanization.

Preparation of polypropylene/ethylene‐propylene‐diene terpolymer/nitrile rubber ternary thermoplastics vulcanizates with good mechanical properties and oil resistance by core‐shell dynamic vulcanization

As the most successful commercialized thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs), polypropylene (PP)/ethylene propylene rubber (EPDM) TPVs exhibit poor oil resistance. In this work, we prepared PP/EPDM/butadiene acrylonitrile rubber (NBR) ternary TPVs with good oil resistance using core‐shell dynamic vulcanization. According to the theoretical analysis of the spreading coefficient and the transmission electron microscopy results, the rubber phases exhibited a special core‐shell structure, in which the cross‐linkedNBR‐core was encapsulated by the EPDM‐shell. The core‐shell structure effectively improved the interfacial compatibility between PP and NBR phase as the EPDM‐shell could avoid the direct contact of them, thus improving the mechanical properties of the TPVs. For example, the PP/EPDM/NBR (40/30/30) ternary TPV showed enhanced tensile strength of 12.57 MPa, compared with 10.71 MPa of PP/EPDM (40/60) TPV and 11.11 MPa of PP/NBR (40/60) TPV, respectively. Moreover, the oil resistance of the TPVs was also improved. Compared with PP/EPDM TPV, the change rates in mass, volume, tensile strength and elongation at break of PP/EPDM/NBR TPV after oil immersion decreased by 42.18%, 48.69%, 52.68% and 28.77%, respectively.

A novel strategy to construct co-continuous PLA/NBR thermoplastic vulcanizates: Metal-ligand coordination-induced dynamic vulcanization, balanced stiffness-toughness and shape memory effect

In the field of dynamic vulcanization, irreversible covalent bonds are utilized to fabricate thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs) generally. In this work, a new strategy, metal-ligand coordination-induced dynamic vulcanization, is presented to design polylactide (PLA)/butadiene acrylonitrile rubber (NBR)/cupric sulfate (CuSO4) TPVs with balanced stiffness-toughness and shape memory property. During dynamic vulcanization, the micron-sized CuSO4 particles have been transformed into nanoparticles by the process of “dissolution-reaction-redissolution-reaction” and then distributed in the continuous NBR phase. CuSO4 nanoparticles cross-link NBR through the coordination interaction between nitrile groups and copper ions, and simultaneously reinforce the NBR phase. This endows the TPVs with balanced stiffness-toughness properties: notched Izod impact strength of 152.88 kJ/m2 and tensile strength of 22.30 MPa. Furthermore, the fabricated TPVs exhibit co-continuous morphology which resulted in excellent shape memory effect of obtaining shape recovery ratio of 92.30%. We present a novel approach to toughen and enhance PLA-based shape memory materials simultaneously, and it may expand the research scope of dynamic vulcanization.

Improvement of Poly(Lactic Acid) Properties by Using Acrylonitrile-Butadiene Rubber and Polyethylene-g-Maleic Anhydride

This research prepared poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and PLA/acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber (NBR) blends before and after adding polyethylene-g-maleic anhydride with 3 wt% of maleic anhydride (PE-g-MA3) 3 phr. The effects of NBR and PE-g-MA3 on morphological, mechanical and thermal properties of PLA and PLA blends were discussed. The morphological analysis observed the two-phase morphology of PLA/NBR blends, and it was observed the cavities generated due to NBR phase detachment during sample fracture, and droplets of NBR phase at higher NBR content. The PE-g-MA3 addition could improve adhesion between PLA and NBR phases due to the decrease of cavities in PLA matrix and droplet size of NBR. The mechanical properties showed the impact strength and strain at break of PLA/NBR blends dramatically increased when the amount of NBR increasing. The addition of PE-g-MA3 significantly improved the impact strength of PLA/NBR blends. The thermal properties showed the NBR addition had effect slightly on the melting temperature of PLA/NBR blends. The filling of NBR and PE-g-MA3 greatly decreased the percent crystallinity of PLA more than two times. The thermal degradation of pure PLA and NBR proceeds by one step, while the thermal degradation process of PLA/NBR and PLA/PE-g-MA3 proceeds by two steps. Which the first step showed a large mass loss of PLA degradation and the second step showed a small mass loss of PE-g-MA and NBR degradation.

Significant improvement of the low-temperature toughness of PVC/ASA/NBR ternary blends through the concept of mismatched thermal expansion coefficient

Abstract In this study, poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC)/acrylonitrile-styrene-acrylic terpolymer (ASA)/acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber (NBR) ternary blends were designed based on the concept of mismatched thermal expansion coefficient between different components, resulting in significant improvement of the low-temperature toughness. The large difference in thermal expansion coefficients strengthened the interfacial tensile force (i.e. negative pressure) on NBR phase and reduced its glass transition temperature (T g ) by nearly 20°C, which was attributed to the improvement in the free volume of NBR. As a result, the low-temperature toughness of PVC/ASA/NBR ternary blends improved significantly. With the incorporation of 12.5 phr NBR in the PVC/ASA (100/15, w/w) matrix, the blends could achieve the highest impact strength of 76.2 kJ/m2 at 0°C and 10.7 kJ/m2 at −30°C. Simultaneously, the brittle-ductile transition (BDT) of the toughness shifted to the high NBR content region with the decrease of temperature. However, the improvement in the toughness of PVC/ASA/NBR ternary blends was at the expense of a decrease in rigidity.

Dynamically vulcanized ethylene-methacrylic acid copolymer/nitrile butadiene rubber blends reinforced by zinc dimethacrylate

Thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs) based on ethylene-methacrylic acid (EMA) copolymer/nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) blends were prepared by dynamic vulcanization where the NBR phase was reinforced by zinc dimethacrylate (ZDMA). The effect of ZDMA dosage on the mechanical properties, Mullins effect, and morphology of the TPVs was investigated systematically. Experimental results indicated that the mechanical properties of EMA/NBR TPVs were enhanced remarkably with the incorporation of ZDMA. Morphology study showed that the NBR particles with diameters of about 1–5 μm were dispersed evenly in the etched surface of EMA/NBR/ZDMA TPV. The Mullins effect could be observed in the stress–strain curves of EMA/NBR TPV and EMA/NBR/ZDMA TPV during the uniaxial loading–unloading cycles. Compared with those of EMA/NBR TPV, EMA/NBR/ZDMA TPV had the higher stress, residual deformation, and internal friction loss.

Heat-assisted friction stir welding of polymeric nanocomposite

ABSTRACTIn the present study, the feasibility of friction stir welding (FSW) of polyamide 6/Nitrile butadiene rubber composite was carried out with and without an additional heating system. By controlling heat input and cooling rate, sound joints were obtained during heat-assisted FSW. Mechanical tests under different rotational speeds were performed to probe the tool design efficiency. Produced welds with a heating system minimised improper fusion and defect formation, which resulted in considerable improvement of mechanical properties. Tensile strength and hardness still have lower values at the presence of NBR phase; introducing halloysite nanotubes into PA6 matrix resolved this issue. The highest tensile strength was 61 MPa with over 91% of base material strength. Results are corroborated by photomicrographs.

Facile design of heat-triggered shape memory ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer/nitrile-butadiene thermoplastic vulcanizates via zinc dimethacrylate induced interfacial compatibilization

Design of shape memory polymers (SMPs) based on thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs) is considered a challenge because, in most cases, the phase interface of TPV is not powerful enough to perform the shape memory behavior. In this work, a facile and effective strategy was designed to achieve rapidly reconfigurable shape fixity and recovery for a heat-triggered shape memory polymer (HSMP), which was derived from a typical sea-island structured ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer/nitrile-butadiene rubber (EVA/NBR) TPVs via Zinc Dimethacrylate (ZDMA) induced interfacial compatibilization. The EVA phase served as the heat-control switched phase to fix the deformation status of rubber particles via the ZDMA-enhanced interface. With the incorporation of ZDMA, the average diameter of NBR particles was reduced to 3–5 μm, which markedly enlarged EVA/NBR interfacial contact surfaces. The enhanced interface improved stress delivery efficiency between EVA and NBR phases, which further improved the shape recovery (SR) and shape fixing (SF) ability of TPVs. This novel HSMP exhibited the surprising shape memory property (shape fixities ~ 95%, shape recoveries> 95%, and fast recovery speed < 20 s at the switching temperature of 95 °C). The dynamic mechanical behavior and stress relaxation behavior of EVA/NBR/ZDMA TPVs were characterized, and the results demonstrated that the high modulus value and the low stress relaxation ratio supported the improvement of SF and SR ratios of the EVA/NBR/ZDMA TPVs. This novel HSMP is expected to open up a wide range of potential applications in smart devices.

Direct visualization of the nanoscopic three‐phase structure and stiffness of NBR/PVC blends by AFM nanomechanical mapping

ABSTRACTThe PeakForce Quantitative Nanomechanical Mapping based on atomic force microscope (AFM) is employed to first visualize and then quantify the elastic properties of a model nitrile rubber/poly(vinyl chloride) (NBR/PVC) blend at the nanoscale. This method allows us to consistently observe the changes in mechanical properties of each phase in polymer blends. Beyond measuring and discriminating elastic modulus and adhesion forces of each phase, we tune the AFM tips and the peak force parameters in order to reliably image samples. In view of viscoelastic difference in each phase, a three‐phase coexistence of an unmixed NBR phase, the mixed phase, and PVC microcrystallites is directly visualized in NBR/PVC blends. The nanomechanical investigation is also capable of recognizing the crosslinked rubber phase in cured rubber. The contribution of the mixed phase was quantified and it was found that the mechanical properties of blends are mainly determined by the homogeneity and stiffness of the mixed phase. This study furthers our understanding the structure–mechanical property relationship of thermoplastic elastomers, which is important for their potential design and applications. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2019, 57, 662–669

Compatibilization of Vulcanized SBR/NBR Blends using Cis-Polybutadiene Rubber: Influence of Blend Ratio on Elastomer Properties

Blends composed of styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) and acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber (NBR) were fabricated by melt blending technique using two-roll mill blend machine. Cis- polybutadiene rubber (CBR) was used as a compatibilizer for enhancing the homogeneity between SBR and NBR phases in blends. Although, no previous reports were found to discuss improving electrical properties of vulcanized SBR/NBR blends using unfilled rubber system (i.e. no fillers incorporated). Raman spectra and SEM images indicate that a significant compatibility within the rubber matrix is observed, due to using CBR compatibilizer. The effect of SBR/NBR blend ratio on curing characteristics, physico-mechanical properties, and physicochemical properties (e.g. network characteristics and thermodynamic parameters) were studied. SBR/NBR blend showed comparatively better mechanical properties, compared to each other individually rubber system. Curing parameters e.g. Mooney viscosity and hardness were increased, while a reduction in cure time and specific gravity was observed with increasing SBR ratio in blends. Results revealed that increasing SBR resulted in an enhancement of the tensile strength, modulus at 300 % and elongation at break up to 40 phr, and then gradually decreased. The TGA results indicated that SBR/NBR blends were thermally decomposed at a temperature range of 340-520°C. The notable decrease of DC conductivity (?dc) of vulcanized blends is owing to the decrease of NBR, which is a polar portion and is responsible for increasing the conductivity of vulcanized blends. This proved that the targeted industrial applications for vulcanized blends are entirely depending upon SBR/NBR blend in elastomers matrix.

Compatibilization of Vulcanized SBR/NBR Blends using Cis-Polybutadiene Rubber: Influence of Blend Ratio on Elastomer Properties

Blends composed of styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) and acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber (NBR) were fabricated by melt blending technique using two-roll mill blend machine. Cis- polybutadiene rubber (CBR) was used as a compatibilizer for enhancing the homogeneity between SBR and NBR phases in blends. Although, no previous reports were found to discuss improving electrical properties of vulcanized SBR/NBR blends using unfilled rubber system (i.e. no fillers incorporated). Raman spectra and SEM images indicate that a significant compatibility within the rubber matrix is observed, due to using CBR compatibilizer. The effect of SBR/NBR blend ratio on curing characteristics, physico-mechanical properties, and physicochemical properties (e.g. network characteristics and thermodynamic parameters) were studied. SBR/NBR blend showed comparatively better mechanical properties, compared to each other individually rubber system. Curing parameters e.g. Mooney viscosity and hardness were increased, while a reduction in cure time and specific gravity was observed with increasing SBR ratio in blends. Results revealed that increasing SBR resulted in an enhancement of the tensile strength, modulus at 300 % and elongation at break up to 40 phr, and then gradually decreased. The TGA results indicated that SBR/NBR blends were thermally decomposed at a temperature range of 340-520°C. The notable decrease of DC conductivity (σdc) of vulcanized blends is owing to the decrease of NBR, which is a polar portion and is responsible for increasing the conductivity of vulcanized blends. This proved that the targeted industrial applications for vulcanized blends are entirely depending upon SBR/NBR blend in elastomers matrix.

Mechanical Properties and Phase Morphology of Poly(Lactic Acid)/Acrylonitrile-Butadiene Rubber/Organoclay Nanocomposites Prepared by Melt Blending

This work investigated the mechanical properties and phase morphology of poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber (NBR) blends and nanocomposites, which prepared by melt blending in an internal mixer. The contents of NBR were 5, 10, 15 and 20 wt% and the content of organoclay was 3 phr. The impact test showed that the impact strength of PLA/NBR blends increased with an increase of NBR content and the impact strength of the blends was more than eight times by adding NBR 10 wt% when compared with neat PLA. The tensile test showed that Young’s modulus and tensile strength of PLA/NBR blends and nanocomposites decreased after adding NBR and organoclay. While the strain at break of the NBR blends increased with increasing NBR content. This result is attributed to the rubber phase in NBR in a cause the increment of elongation and elasticity in PLA/NBR blends. The morphology of PLA/NBR blends observed the fractured surface was rougher than that of pure PLA. This observation indicates that the addition of NBR in PLA can change the brittle fracture of PLA to ductile fracture, which has an effect to the strain at break or elongation of PLA. However, the morphology of the PLA/NBR blends were also observed the phase separation of the dispersed NBR phase and PLA matrix phase, and appeared the voids in a polymer matrix. The addition of organoclay had an effect slightly on the morphology of the blends. From X-ray diffraction, results found that PLA/organoclay and PLA/NBR/organoclay nanocomposites showed the intercalated structure, which PLA chains were inserted into the interlayer of clay due to the increase of d-spacing.