Significantly reinforced and long serviceable acrylonitrile butadiene rubber/graphitic carbon nitride composites for future industrial applications

Abstract

The application of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) as non-black reinforcing filler is very little-known part in rubber technology. In the present study, g-C3N4 filled acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) composites were prepared by conventional two-roll milling process to investigate the influence of g-C3N4 on the mechanical and thermal performances of NBR formulations. NBR composite with 3 phr (parts per hundred parts of rubber) g-C3N4 presents considerably higher cure rate index, hardness, tensile strength, storage modulus and thermal stability than unfilled NBR composite. Also, the addition of g-C3N4 successfully enhances the thermal oxidative aging resistance and fuel consumption efficiency of NBR composites. Thus, g-C3N4 can be used in the near future as interesting filler for developing long serviceable NBR composites with good mechanical properties.

Keywords

• Acrylonitrile butadiene rubber
• Graphitic carbon nitride
• Filler
• Mechanical properties
• Thermal aging