No abstract

Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) have been used as a new type of filler for acrylonitrilebutadiene rubber (NBR) matrix. The NBR/HNT nanocomposites were prepared using a two-roll mill by adding 0-7 parts per hundred rubber (phr) HNTs, and the effect of the loading of HNTs on the curing behavior, mechanical, and microstructural properties were also investigated in this study. The cure characteristics showed that the cure time (t 90 ) and scorch time (t s2 ) decreased, whereas the maximum torque (M H ) exhibited an increasing trend from 0 to 7 phr. The tensile properties improved until optimum loading of HNTs (5 phr) and thermal stability increased with increasing HNT loading. The morphological study revealed the HNTs homogeneously dispersed inside the NBR matrix and good interaction occurred between HNTs and NBR.

Epoxidized natural rubber (ENR-50) has been used as a compatibilizer for natural rubber-recycled acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber (NR/NBRr

The properties of acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber (NBR) composites were studied at five different compositions of NBR/HNTs/Silica or NBR/HNTs/CB (i.e., 100/5/0, 100/4/1, 100/3/2, 100/2/3, 100/0/5 parts per hundred rubber (phr)). The tensile strength and modulus (M100) of both composites decreased, whereas elongation at break increased and maximum torque with increasing the silica or carbon black content. However, both composites show opposite trends for cure time and scorch time, where NBR/HNTs/Silica composite exhibited an increasing trend, while NBR/HNTs/CB composite shows the decreasing trend. The rubber-filler interaction studies showed that carbon black is a more reinforcing filler than silica.

In the present study, the fatigue, resilience, hardness, and swelling behaviour of natural rubber and recycled acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber (NR/NBRr) blends were studied in the concentration range from 5 to 35 phr of recycled NBR. NBR gloves have excellent resistance to punctures, tear and many types of chemicals, while NR has good physical and mechanical properties. Blending NBRr into the rubber blends improved the processability, stiffness and resilience and conferred excellent oil resistance. The fatigue life of NR/NBRr blends decreased as the NBRr content increased, due to the incompatibility and poor dispersion of NBRr in the NR matrix. However, increasing NBRr content gave NR/NBRr blends better resistance towards swelling and hardness. Both properties increased due to the improvement in crosslink density when more NBRr was added, but the resilience properties exhibited an opposite trend. Scanning electron microscopy study indicated that the recycled NBR shows a coarser and poor dispersion in NR matrix particularly when more NBRr content was used, which leads to lower fatigue life of the NR/NBRr blends.