Abstract
Chloroprene rubber (CR)/organic modifier/sodium montmorillonite (NA-MMT) nanocomposites were prepared by melt intercalation. The morphology of the nanocomposites was studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). TEM results showed that the silicate layers of the clay were dispersed in the CR matrix on the nano-scale by adding the organic modifier. X-ray diffraction also indicated that the silicate layers of clay were exfoliated. The mechanical and thermal properties of the nanocomposites could be therefore improved by adding clay and organic modifier, as the silicate layer of the clay was uniformly dispersed. Dynamic mechanical analysis was further performed to investigate the thermomechanical properties of CR–clay nanocomposites containing various amounts of clay. The glass-transition temperature of CR– clay nanocomposites increased with increasing amount of clay and organic modifier.