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Comparison of the nanoparticles performance in the photocatalytic degradation of a styrene–butadiene rubber nanocomposite
Author(s) -
Arantes Tatiane M.,
Sala Renata L.,
Leite Edson R.,
Longo Elson,
Camargo Emerson R.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.38281
Subject(s) - photodegradation , materials science , nanocomposite , photocatalysis , anatase , styrene butadiene , montmorillonite , chemical engineering , polymer , nanoparticle , natural rubber , degradation (telecommunications) , copolymer , styrene , composite material , catalysis , nanotechnology , organic chemistry , chemistry , telecommunications , computer science , engineering
Much has been talking about the advantages of polymeric nanocomposites, but little is known about the influence of nanoparticles on the stability of these materials. In this sense, we studied the influence of both oxides of zirconium and titanium, known to have photocatalytic properties, as well as the influence of synthetic clay Laponite on the photodegradation of styrene–butadiene rubber (SBR). SBR nanocomposites were prepared by the colloidal route by mixing commercial polymer lattices and nanometric anatase TiO 2 , monoclinic ZrO 2 or exfoliated Laponite clays colloidal suspensions. To better understand the degradation mechanisms that occur in these nanocomposites, the efficiency of different photocatalysts under ultraviolet radiation was monitored by FT‐IR and UV–vis spectroscopies and by differential scanning calorimetric. It was observed that TiO 2 and ZrO 2 nanoparticles undoubtedly acted as catalysts during the photodegradation process with different efficiencies and rates. However, when compared to pure SBR samples, the polymer degradation mechanism was unaffected. Unlike studies with nanocomposites montmorillonite, exfoliated laponite clay effectively acts as a photostabilizer of polymer UV photodegradation. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013