Comparison of the Effects of Organoclay Loading on the Curing and Mechanical Properties of Organoclay-Filled Epoxidised Natural Rubber Nanocomposites and Organoclay-Filled Natural Rubber Nanocomposites

Comparison between epoxidised natural rubber (ENR) and natural rubber (NR) filled with organoclay in terms of curing characteristics, tensile properties, thermal stability and morphology were studied. Organoclay loadings from 2 to 10 phr loading were used in this study. The nanocomposites were compounded using laboratory-sized two roll mills and cured at 150°C. The results indicate that the tensile strength and tensile modulus reached a maximum at 8 phr of organoclay, but elongation at break and thermal stability increased with increasing organoclay loading. Overall results show that organoclay-filled ENR nanocomposites exhibited shorter processing time and higher tensile properties than organoclay-filled NR nanocomposites. The enhanced properties were due to the homogenous dispersion of individual silicate layers in the ENR matrix, which is shown in the X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results.