Effect of Vulcanization Ingredients on the Intercalation‐Exfoliation Process of Layered Silicate in an Acrylonitrile Butadiene Rubber Matrix

Abstract

Abstract The effect of both sulfur and peroxide curing on the intercalation and exfoliation process of layered silicate was studied to find a suitable vulcanization package for acrylonitrile butadiene rubber. X‐ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy studies showed that proper selection of a curing package could lead the layered silicates to have excellent dispersion in intercalated form. The curing characteristics, physical properties, dynamic mechanical properties, and thermogravimetric analysis of layered silicate‐acrylonitrile butadiene rubber nanocomposites were explored. Finally, the effect of different types of zinc accelerators in sulfur vulcanization process was investigated on the intercalation‐exfoliation process of the layered silicates. magnified image