Size-controlled self-assembly of anisotropic sepiolite fibers in rubber nanocomposites

Credico, Barbara Di; Cobani, Elkid; Callone, Emanuela; Conzatti, Lucia; Cristofori, Davide; D’Arienzo, Massimiliano; Dirè, Sandra; Giannini, Luca; Hanel, Thomas; Scotti, Roberto; Stagnaro, Paola; Tadiello, Luciano; Morazzoni, Franca

doi:10.1016/j.clay.2017.10.032

Cited by 36 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Rubber is a widespread material for many applications in everyday life, the most significant being pneumatic tires for automobiles. Its mechanical properties (such as tensile strength and abrasion resistance [40]) are generally improved by the addition of reinforcing filler NPs [41], as carbon black, silica, and clays, typically employed to produce nanocomposites (NCs) for tires with improved abrasion resistance, wet grip, and rolling resistance [42][43][44][45][46][47]. NCs mechanical properties are further increased by the cross-linking of rubber chains through the vulcanization to form a three-dimensional network, which provides elasticity and tensile strength.…”

Section: Rubber Vulcanizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Zinc-Based Curing Activators: New Trends for Reducing Zinc Content in Rubber Vulcanization Process

et al. 2019

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The efficiency of sulfur vulcanization reaction in rubber industry is generally improved thanks to the combined use of accelerators (as sulphenamides), activators (inorganic oxides), and co-activators (fatty acids). The interaction among these species is responsible for the formation of intermediate metal complexes, which are able to increase the reactivity of sulfur towards the polymer and to promote the chemical cross-links between the rubber chains. The high number of species and reactions that are involved contemporarily in the process hinders the complete understanding of its mechanism despite the long history of vulcanization. In this process, ZnO is considered to be the most efficient and major employed activator and zinc-based complexes that formed during the first steps of the reaction are recognized to play a main role in determining both the kinetic and the nature of the cross-linked products. However, the low affinity of ZnO towards the rubber entails its high consumption (3–5 parts per hundred, phr) to achieve a good distribution in the matrix, leading to a possible zinc leaching in the environment during the life cycle of rubber products (i.e., tires). Thanks to the recent recognition of ZnO ecotoxicity, especially towards the aquatic environment, these aspects gain a critical importance in view of the urgent need to reduce or possibly substitute the ZnO employed in rubber vulcanization. In this review, the reactivity of ZnO as curing activator and its role in the vulcanization mechanism are highlighted and deeply discussed. A complete overview of the recent strategies that have been proposed in the literature to improve the vulcanization efficiency by reducing the amount of zinc that is used in the process is also reported.

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Section: Rubber Vulcanizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Zinc-Based Curing Activators: New Trends for Reducing Zinc Content in Rubber Vulcanization Process

et al. 2019

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“…To address this issue, the hydrophilic pristine clays are generally modied by ion exchange, intercalation and graing reactions. 37 Traditionally, organic surfactants with long alkyl chains are used to modify MMT surfaces to improve the affinity of polymer matrices with MMT layers and facilitate its exfoliation. [38][39][40][41] For example, Qiao et al 42 reported the preparation of the TPU/MMT nanocomposites via in situ polymerization, the cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) was used as a swelling agent intercalated into the galleries of the MMT layers to get the organic MMT; then 4,4 0 -methylenediphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) was graed on OMMTs by the reaction with hydroxyl groups on OMMT layers; the obtained results showed that the tensile strength of the nanocomposites showed about 24% increase as incorporating 4.0 wt% of MMT into TPU matrix.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Highly exfoliated montmorillonite clay reinforced thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer:in situpreparation and efficient strengthening

Cheng

Zhong

et al. 2019

RSC Adv.

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“…Thanks to its natural abundance and low cost, Sep has been extensively used as filler in various polymeric matrices [15,16] to enhance their thermal, mechanical and barrier properties. However, the pristine bundle-like form of the Sep fibers inhibits its uniform dispersion within the polymeric matrix and their chemical modification is usually required to ensure interfacial interaction with polymers [17,18].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Green Approach for Preparing High-Loaded Sepiolite/Polymer Biocomposites

et al. 2018

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Global industry is showing a great interest in the field of sustainability owing to the increased attention for ecological safety and utilization of renewable materials. For the scientific community, the challenge lies in the identification of greener synthetic approaches for reducing the environmental impact. In this context, we propose the preparation of novel biocomposites consisting of natural rubber latex (NRL) and sepiolite (Sep) fibers through the latex compounding technique (LCT), an ecofriendly approach where the filler is directly mixed with a stable elastomer colloid. This strategy favors a homogeneous dispersion of hydrophilic Sep fibers in the rubber matrix, allowing the production of high-loaded sepiolite/natural rubber (Sep/NR) without the use of surfactants. The main physicochemical parameters which control Sep aggregation processes in the aqueous medium were comprehensively investigated and a flocculation mechanism was proposed. The uniform Sep distribution in the rubber matrix, characteristic of the proposed LCT, and the percolative filler network improved the mechanical performances of Sep/NR biocomposites in comparison to those of analogous materials prepared by conventional melt-mixing. These outcomes indicate the suitability of the adopted sustainable procedure for the production of high-loaded clay–rubber nanocomposites with remarkable mechanical features.

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Size-controlled self-assembly of anisotropic sepiolite fibers in rubber nanocomposites

Cited by 36 publications

References 47 publications

Zinc-Based Curing Activators: New Trends for Reducing Zinc Content in Rubber Vulcanization Process

Zinc-Based Curing Activators: New Trends for Reducing Zinc Content in Rubber Vulcanization Process

Highly exfoliated montmorillonite clay reinforced thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer:in situpreparation and efficient strengthening

A Green Approach for Preparing High-Loaded Sepiolite/Polymer Biocomposites

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