Preparation and properties of natural rubber/rectorite nanocomposites

Natural rubber (NR)/rectorite nanocomposite was prepared by co-coagulating NR latex and rectorite aqueous suspension. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were employed to characterize the microstructure of the nanocomposite. The results showed that the nanocomposite exhibited a higher glass transition temperature, lower tan δ peak value and slightly broader glass transition region compared with pure NR. The gas barrier properties of the NR/rectorite nanocomposites were remarkably improved by the introduction of nanoscale rectorite because of the increased tortuosity of the diffusive path for a penetrant molecule. The nanocomposites have a unique stress–strain behavior due to the reinforcement and the hindrance of rectorite layers to the tensile crystallization of NR.