Mechanical properties of NBR nanocomposites reinforced with graphene, CNTs and carbon black

The work involves formulating nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) having improved mechanical and chemical properties, by incorporating nanomaterials, such as COOH graphene, OH graphene, COOH graphene + CNT and OH graphene + CNT, in addition to carbon black. NBR is widely used in the automotive, aerospace and petroleum industries because it has outstanding resistance to oil, fuel and chemicals. However, to be eligible for higher level applications, NBR must also have good tensile strength, tear resistance, hardness and oil-swelling resistance. The nanocomposite samples were compounded by two-roll mill and vulcanized under optimum conditions. The performance of the composites was tested by using characterization methods such as tensile, elongation, tear, hardness, compression set and oil swelling tests. The FESEM morphological study established nanomaterial uniform dispersion, leading to improved mechanical properties. The results show that the developed nanocomposites possess better strength, durability and deformation resistance, which render them appropriate for high-performance applications.