A comprehensive review of the recent developments in thermoplastics and rubber blends‐based composites and nanocomposites

Abstract

Various blends and composites have been prepared during the past decade to address limitations, including the poor mechanical properties of polymers, or to balance out the high cost of synthetic polymers. Rubber‐based thermoplastic blends and composites are being developed to attain improved performance and balanced qualities for usage in a variety of industries, including automotive, packaging, home products, space technology, and biomedical. Thermoplastics can be produced via standard manufacturing procedures and have outstanding qualities like low density, good chemical resistance, and heat resistance. However, rubbers are being used because of their elastic attributes, including their resilience, impact resistance, and good tear strength. These two materials work well together when blended or combined. In this article, an effort was made to narrow the gap between rubbers and thermoplastics. The mechanical, rheological, and morphological properties of the rubber/thermoplastic blends and composites/nanocomposites containing various types of conventional fillers and nanofillers were discussed comprehensively. Blends of these materials can provide too easier melt processing as well as financial benefits. The flexible nature and damping properties of rubber and better thermal stability and thermoplastic processability contributed to the development of high‐performance rubber/thermoplastic composites with better ductility, impact strength, and stiffness. Rubber reduced the high brittleness of thermoplastics because of its resilience and damping properties. In contrast, the poor processability and weak chemical resistance of rubbers were overcome via better processability and higher stiffness of thermoplastics. Rubber‐based thermoplastic composites and nanocomposites have been reported to offer greater flexibility, better processing, high impact strength, and chemical resistance.Highlights The properties of rubber/thermoplastic blends were discussed in this article. More recent advancements in rubber/thermoplastic blends were evaluated. Morphological properties depend on the rubber/thermoplastic blend ratio. The addition of reinforcements affects the rheological properties. Dispersion of additives and blend ratio influence the mechanical properties.

Processing–microstructure–fracture toughness relationships in PP/EPDM/SiO2 blend‐nanocomposites: Effect of mixing sequence

“…Rubber toughening of brittle plastics is usually at the cost of reduced elastic modulus, tensile strength, and stiffness. In this regard, simultaneous manipulation of a soft rubber phase together with a rigid phase (polymeric or non‐polymeric) is a common strategy to keep a suitable stiffness–toughness balance of the resulting multiphase system 5–12 . Among different materials, rigid (nano) particles are the most favorable materials for this purpose, due to their tunable physicochemical characteristics.…”