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Mechanical, thermo‐mechanical, thermal, and swelling properties of EPDM‐organically modified mesoporous silica nanocomposites
Author(s) -
Acharya Himadri,
Srivastava Suneel K.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
polymer composites
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.577
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1548-0569
pISSN - 0272-8397
DOI - 10.1002/pc.23858
Subject(s) - materials science , nanocomposite , thermogravimetric analysis , dynamic mechanical analysis , composite material , thermal stability , ultimate tensile strength , scanning electron microscope , mesoporous silica , chemical engineering , mesoporous material , polymer , organic chemistry , catalysis , chemistry , engineering
Ethylene‐propylene‐diene terpolymer nanocomposites has been developed using organically modified mesoporous silica nanoparticles by solution blending method. Hydrophilic mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MCM‐41) of ∼100 nm in sizes were synthesized via a template‐directed method, functionalized with trimethylchlorosilane (TMS) to produce hydrophobic silica (OS). The X‐ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis suggest that OS are homogeneously dispersed in the EPDM matrix and can maintain its pore structure effectively in the nanocomposites. The EPDM/OS nanocomposite exhibits a significant improvement in mechanical and thermal properties with respect to neat EPDM. A significant increase in tensile strength (TS) approximately 200% was observed at very low wt% of organosilica content in the nanocomposite. Dynamic mechanical analysis also exhibits the improvement in storage modulus for nanocomposites. Thermogravimetric analysis shows a thermal stability enhancement by approximately 25°C of EPDM nanocomposites containing 3 wt% OS when 25% weight loss was selected as point of comparison. The solvent uptakes in nanocomposites were comparable with the porous sites and free volume in EPDM matrix on OS incorporation. POLYM. COMPOS., 38:E371–E380, 2017. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers