Rheological and Mechanical Properties of Silica/Nitrile Butadiene Rubber Vulcanizates with Eco-Friendly Ionic Liquid

Munir Hussain; Sohail Yasin; Hafeezullah Memon; Zhiyun Li; Xinpeng Fan; Muhammad Adnan Akram; Wanjie Wang; Yihu Song; Qiang Zheng

doi:10.3390/polym12112763

Polymers (Nov 2020)

Rheological and Mechanical Properties of Silica/Nitrile Butadiene Rubber Vulcanizates with Eco-Friendly Ionic Liquid

Munir Hussain,
Sohail Yasin,
Hafeezullah Memon,
Zhiyun Li,
Xinpeng Fan,
Muhammad Adnan Akram,
Wanjie Wang,
Yihu Song,
Qiang Zheng

Affiliations

Munir Hussain: MOE Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
Sohail Yasin: MOE Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
Hafeezullah Memon: College of Textile Science and Engineering (International Institute of Silk), Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, China
Zhiyun Li: MOE Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
Xinpeng Fan: MOE Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
Muhammad Adnan Akram: MOE Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
Wanjie Wang: College of Materials Science and Engineering, Henan Key Laboratory of Advanced Nylon Materials and Application, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
Yihu Song: MOE Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
Qiang Zheng: MOE Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12112763
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 12, no. 11
p. 2763

Abstract

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In this paper we designed greener rubber nanocomposites exhibiting high crosslinking density, and excellent mechanical and thermal properties, with a potential application in technical fields including high-strength and heat-resistance products. Herein 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate ([EMIM]OAc) ionic liquid was combined with silane coupling agent to formulate the nanocomposites. The impact of [EMIM]OAc on silica dispersion in a nitrile rubber (NBR) matrix was investigated by a transmission electron microscope and scanning electron microscopy. The combined use of the ionic liquid and silane in an NBR/silica system facilitates the homogeneous dispersion of the silica volume fraction (φ) from 0.041 to 0.177 and enhances crosslinking density of the matrix up to three-fold in comparison with neat NBR, and also it is beneficial for solving the risks of alcohol emission and ignition during the rubber manufacturing. The introduction of ionic liquid greatly improves the mechanical strength (9.7 MPa) with respect to neat NBR vulcanizate, especially at high temperatures e.g., 100 °C. Furthermore, it impacts on rheological behaviors of the nanocomposites and tends to reduce energy dissipation for the vulcanizates under large amplitude dynamic shear deformation.

Published in Polymers

ISSN: 2073-4360 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Science: Chemistry: Organic chemistry
Website: http://www.mdpi.com/journal/polymers/

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