Synergistic effect of hybrid montmorillonite materials on the wear resistance of natural rubber/butadiene rubber composites

Abstract The wear resistance of rubber composite materials has always been the focus of research. The wear resistance will not only affect the service life of products and the safety of equipment, but also have an important impact on the environment. In this work, the preparation and properties of wear‐resistant rubber nanocomposites based on natural rubber (NR) were studied. It is dedicated to improving the wear resistance of NR composites. On this basis, the dispersibility of montmorillonite (MMT) hybrid materials in NR‐based rubber composites was explored. SiO 2 @MMT, SiO 2 @MMT@KH560, PDA@GO, and MMT@GO hybrid materials were prepared, and the hybrid materials were applied to the NR/butadiene rubber (NR/BR) system, and NR/BR/hybrid material composite materials were successfully prepared. The results show that the interlayer spacing of MMT in hybrid materials increases, which effectively improves the dispersibility of MMT in rubber matrix. The tensile strength of NR/BR/MMT@GO composite material increased by 12%, the elongation at break increased by 25%, the DIN abrasion decreased by 16.5% compared with the optimum wear rubber formula, and the wear resistance was greatly improved. This work provides a feasible way for the design of functional polymer composites.