Influences of purification and surface treatment of sugarcane bagasse ash on mechanical properties of natural rubber composites

Abstract

Attempts to use bagasse ash (BA) as a filler in natural rubber (NR) have been made. Acidolysis/alkaline extraction method was used to purify BA. The purified BA (PBA) was subsequently characterized by various techniques such as X‐ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and so forth. After the purification, PBA had a lower particle size and a higher specific surface area. XRD results showed that silica was the main composition of PBA while FTIR results revealed the existence of hydroxyl groups on the PBA surface. The reinforcement magnitude of PBA in NR was subsequently evaluated both without and with the addition of surface modifying agents, namely, bis‐3‐triethoxysilylpropyl tetrasulfide (TESPT) and epoxidized natural rubber (ENR). Due to its large particle size, PBA acted as a semi‐reinforcing filler for NR, that is, the small increases of hardness, modulus and tensile strength were observed in the presence of PBA. As TESPT and ENR could improve the extent of rubber‐filler interaction, mechanical properties of the NR vulcanizates filled with PBA‐TESPT and PBA‐ENR were slightly higher than those of the PBA‐filled NR vulcanizate. For instance, tensile strength exhibited approximately 22% increase after the surface treatment. In this study, both PBA‐TESPT and PBA‐ENR showed comparable degree of reinforcement.

The effects of the cross‐linking mechanism of low doses of gamma irradiation on the mechanical, thermal, and viscoelastic properties of the natural rubber latex/poly(styrene‐block‐isoprene‐block‐styrene) block copolymer blend

“…A similar finding of smooth surface of neat NRL has been found in previous studies. [32,33] Upon blending, the FESEM micrograph of the 70 NRL /30 SIS blend shows smooth surfaces and decreased domain size of the dispersed phases, implying good dispersion of SIS in the NRL matrix (Figure 3D). The good miscibility phenomenon between NRL and SIS explains the increase of tensile strength and Young's modulus in the 70 NRL /30 SIS blend.…”

Mapping the progress in natural fiber reinforced composites: Preparation, mechanical properties, and applications

“…As a result, fibers are frequently wasted, and their use as fillers in composite materials has been highly investigated as a viable option. [41,[112][113][114][115][116][117] F I G U R E 2 Images of some natural fibers. [118,119] 3.1 | Thermoplastic matrix Thermoplastic matrices are comprised of polymeric substances that are facile to form in a viscous phase by heating and solidify upon cooling.…”