Structure and properties of organo-montmorillonite/nitrile butadiene rubber nanocomposites prepared from latex dispersions

The organo-montmorillonite (OMt)/nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) nanocomposites were prepared by emulsion intercalation method. The TEM images of the nanocomposites showed uniform dispersions of the OMt particles in NBR and the XRD patterns confirmed an effective intercalation of NBR in the interlayer space of the OMt. The nanocomposites demonstrated excellent mechanical properties and solvent resistance comparing to those of pure NBR. The TGA curves showed that the temperature of maximum decomposition rate (Tmax) of the nanocomposites (30 wt.%) had increased by 10 °C in comparison with that of pure NBR, which indicated that the nanocomposites had excellent thermal stability. The vulcanized curves showed that the OMt could accelerate the vulcanization process. The glass transition temperature, storage modulus, and loss modulus of the nanocomposites have increased, but the tanδ has decreased compared with pure NBR.