Mechanical Properties of Bromobutyl–Natural Rubber-Functionalized Nano Graphene Ternary Composites

The reinforcement of polymers by graphene has generated great interest in recent years. However, very few investigations have been devoted to the reaction between graphene and elastomers. In the present work, COOH-functionalised nanographene natural rubber(NR)/bromobutyl rubber(BIIR) ternary composites are developed on a two roll mill by melt mixing method for automotive tube applications. These prepared composites are investigated for their mechanical properties. The successful exfoliation of COOH- functionalized nanographene in the NR-BIIR matrix and stronger interactions between rubber and filler resulted in remarkable enhancement in tensile strength (28%), tensile modulus (40 %) and tear strength (37%). These functional properties make NR/BIIR/COOH functionalized graphene nanocomposites as a promising new class of material for automotive tubes.