Clay reinforcement blends

Ramar and Alagar [28] compared the dielectric strengths of non-clay-reinforced ethylene-propylene-diene-tris(2-methoxyethoxy)vinyl silane-grafted and ethylene-propylene-polymethyl methacrylate blends. The values of dielectric strength, volume resistivity, surface resistivity, and arc resistance increased with increasing... 

Tsotra et al. [12] studied the electrical properties of clay-reinforced epoxy resin-polyaniline blends. 

Volume 1 of this book is comprised of 25 chapters, and discusses the different types of natural rubber based blends and IPNs. The first seven chapters discuss the general aspects of natural rubber blends like their miscibility, manufacturing methods, production and morphology development. The next ten chapters describe exclusively the properties of natural rubber blends with different polymers like thermoplastic, acrylic plastic, block or graft copolymers, etc. Chapter 18 deals entirely with clay reinforcement in natural rubber blends. Chapters 19 to 23 explain the major techniques used for characterizing various natural rubber based blends. The final two chapters give a brief explanation of life cycle analysis and the application of natural rubber based blends and IPNs. 

Clay Reinforcement in Natural Rubber Based Blends Micro and Nano Length Scales... 

An alternative method of producing natural rubber based clay reinforced nanocomposites with outstanding properties is by using a spray drying technique. In this technique the siUcate layers of clay will be well dispersed in an irradiated polymer latex and this mixture will be sprayed through hot air to produce micrometre-sized liquid droplets. When the solvent is fully evaporated, micrometre-sized polymer spheres with delaminated clay silicate layers on their surface are produced. These spheres can later be melt blended with natural rubber to produce ternary nanocomposites. It is noteworthy that exfoliation of nanofillers can still be achieved without modification of the nanofiller surface, thus the expensive modification process can be eliminated. 

Ikeo, Y., Aoki, K. Kishi, H., Matsuda, S. Murakami, A. (2006). Nano clay reinforced biodegradable plastics of PCL starch blends. Polymers for Advanced Technologies, 17, 940-944... 

It is a common phenomenon that the intercalated-exfoliated clay coexists in the bulk and in the interface of a blend. Previous studies of polymer blend-clay systems usually show that the clay resides either at the interface [81] or in the bulk [82]. The simultaneous existence of clay layers in the interface and bulk allows two functions to be attributed to the nanoclay particles one as a compatibilizer because the clays are being accumulated at the interface, and the other as a nanofiller that can reinforce the rubber polymer and subsequently improve the mechanical properties of the compound. The firm existence of the exfoliated clay layers and an interconnected chain-like structure at the interface of CR and EPDM (as evident from Fig. 42a, b) surely affects the interfacial energy between CR and EPDM, and these arrangements seem to enhance the compatibility between the two rubbers. 

Strength [Nishiyama etal., 1990,1991] that can be further improved by addition of a TPE [Nishiyama and Nakakita, 1991]. PPS/PEST blends were also compatibilized by addition of a PPS-PEST copolymer [Suenaga and Ishikuwa, 1991]. The alloys could be reinforced with GE, talc, mica, wollastonite or clay [Gary, 1993]. 

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