An Investigation on the Effect of the Surface Modifications and HNTs Loading on the Cure behaviours, Abrasion Resistance, Mechanical and Morphological Properties of NR/EPDM Nanocomposites

Research was conducted to investigate the modification of natural halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) using amino silanes, namely (γ-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (APTES) and diethoxydimethyl silane (DMS). The study investigates the influence of modified halloysite nanotubes, specifically APTES-HNTs and DMS-HNTs, on the diverse properties of nanocomposites produced from a blend of natural rubber (NR) and ethylene-propylene-diene monomer (EPDM). The properties examined included cure characteristics, tensile properties, hardness, rebound resilience, and compression set qualities of the NR/EPDM nanocomposites. Swelling and cross-link density measurements, abrasion resistance analysis, and fracture morphology examination using FESEM were also performed to validate the experimental outcomes. Utilizing APTES-HNTs as fillers resulted in noteworthy improvements in multiple attributes such as tensile strength, stress at 100% elongation, abrasion resistance, hardness, tear strength, and curing behavior. Notably, the APTES-HNTs filled nanocomposites demonstrated superior resistance to swelling when compared to both HNTs and DMS-HNTs. The enhanced interaction between the filler and rubber matrix, owing to the increased contact surface area, contributed to advancements in mechanical properties and resistance to swelling. Comparing nanocomposites with a base vulcanizate, the incorporation of 10 parts per hundred rubber (phr) APTES-HNTs led to a 36% reduction in abrasion loss. The research findings indicated that the addition of 8 phr APTES-HNTs could potentially increase tensile strength, elongation at break, and stress at 100% elongation by approximately 112%, 31%, and 66%, respectively.