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Abstract. In order to improve the physical properties of elastomers and to get more insight into the polymer dynamics close to filler interphases a carboxylated nitrile rubber (XNBR) was filled with up to 10 phr of layered silicate and investigated by dielectric and dynamic-mechanical analysis as well as by IR spectroscopy. Three relaxation processes have been detected beside the electrode polarization effect obtained in dielectric measurements. The relaxation process at low temperatures can be assigned to the β-process due to the rotational motion of side groups. Its temperature dependence follows an Arrhenius-like behaviour and there is no significant change in the shape of this process with the incorporation of filler. The glass transition at medium temperature shows a Vogel-Fulcher-dependence but seems to be independent of filler as well. At higher temperatures a new relaxation process was detected which is probably due to the formation of zinc-carboxyl-clusters. In dielectric and dynamic-mechanical measurements this process increases with increasing loading of organoclay and is shifted to higher temperature.

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Abstract. The effect of curing systems on the orientation and the dispersion of the layered silicates in acrylonitrile butadiene rubber nanocomposite is reported. Significant differences in X-ray diffraction pattern between peroxide curing and sulfur curing was observed. Intense X-ray scattering values in the XRD experiments from peroxide cured vulcanizates indicate an orientation of the layers in a preferred direction as evinced by transmission electron micrographs. However, sulfur cured vulcanizates show no preferential orientation of the silicate particles. Nevertheless, a closer inspection of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images of peroxide and sulfur cured samples shows exfoliated silicate layers in the acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) matrix. It was revealed in the prevailing study that the use of an excess amount of stearic acid in the formulation of the sulfur curing package leads to almost exfoliated type X-ray scattering pattern.