Novel natural rubber composites with geopolymer filler

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to apply geopolymer (GP) particles as novelty fillers in natural rubber (NR) composites with various loadings (0, 10, 20, 30, and 40 phr). Influence of GP particles on cure characteristics, mechanical, dynamic, thermal, and morphological properties of the NR/geopolymer composites was investigated. It was found that incorporation of geopolymer particles significantly affected the cure characteristics and the mechanical properties. That is, faster curing was observed due to acceleration by metal oxide impurities. It was also found that 100% modulus and tensile strength increased with the addition of 10 phr GP. This is attributed to the physical interactions of GP particles with NR molecules. In addition, the Payne effect and improved thermal stability were also observed in the GP-filled NR composites. It was concluded that 10 phr of GP in NR composites might be suitable for some industrial applications. K E Y W O R D S composites, geopolymer, mechanical properties, natural rubber, thermal properties 2652 |

Mechanical, thermal, morphological, and curing properties of geopolymer filled natural rubber composites

“…Thus, the absorption band at 1537 cm −1 for the ENR/GP composite was below that for NR/GP composites due to this interaction. In Figure (a), it is clear that all types of NR composites with GP showed broader FTIR band at wavenumber 1001 cm −1 , assigned to the asymmetric stretching vibrations of SiOT bonds (T‐ tetrahedral Al or Si) in GP . In addition, the absorption band at 870 cm −1 assigned to the epoxirane ring in ENR was found in the FTIR spectrum of gum ENR and ENR composites.…”

“…GP was in‐house prepared by reacting fly ash (Mae Moh Power Station, Lumpang, Thailand) with sodium hydroxide (Loba Chemie Pvt. Ltd. Mumbai, India) and sodium silicate solution (Luoyang Qihang Chemical Industrial Co., Ltd., Luoyang, China), as described in detail in our earlier work …”

“…It was found that the NR/GP composite exhibited good mechanical properties at low GP content. That is, 100% modulus and tensile strength improved with the addition of GP until a loading level of 10 phr (parts per 100 rubber by weight) . However, the GP particles showed poor distribution at loading levels exceeding 10 phr.…”

“…In some cases, fillers have been used as a diluent with no reinforcing capability . Among the various types of fillers, geopolymer (GP) has been recently studied as an alternative filler in natural rubber (NR) composites . It is noted that a GP is typically synthesized predominantly from silica and aluminum materials of geological origin at room temperature .…”

“…Recently, GP was prepared by mixing fly ash with 10 M NaOH and Na 2 SiO 3 solution. The mixture was then annealed in a hot air oven at 65 °C for about 4 h and then further processed in a microwave at 450 W for 5 min . It was found that the NR/GP composite exhibited good mechanical properties at low GP content.…”