Acrylonitrile–butadiene rubber reinforced by graphene oxide/halloysite nanotubes hybrid nanofillers through mechanical blending method

Abstract

With the idea of improving the mechanical properties of acrylonitrile–butadiene rubber (NBR) for potential industrial application, hybrid nanofillers prepared by hybridizing graphene oxide (GO) with halloysite nanotubes (HNT), were incorporated through mechanical blending to reinforce NBR. Graphene oxide/halloysite nanotubes (GH) hybrid filler demonstrates significant synergetic reinforcement effect in mechanical properties of NBR. The substantial improvement in mechanical properties is attributed to the uniform dispersion of hybrid filler in the matrix and to the strong interaction between the hybrid filler and matrix. Scanning electron microscopy images obtained from the fractured surface of GH-reinforced NBR composites showed more uniform dispersion with less agglomerations and cracks than that of GO and HNT. The strong interaction between the hybrid filler and NBR was confirmed by the increase of glass transition temperature, storage modulus and crosslinking density.