Mechanical and electrical properties of acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber filled with treated nanographite

Expanded, nano-scaled graphite treated with different mass ratios of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) (30, 50 and 70wt%) were prepared. The prepared samples were investigated by Fourier Transform InfraRed spectroscopy (FT-IR), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). Acrylonitrilebutadiene rubber (NBR) was loaded with graphite (G), expanded graphite (EG) and treated nanographite to prepare rubber composites and nanocomposites. The properties of the nanocomposites were investigated in terms of the cure characteristics, SEM, XRD, mechanical, electrical and thermal properties. The nanocomposites showed enhancements in cure characteristics and mechanical properties such as tensile strength, elongation at break, Young’s modulus and hardness compared to the conventional composites filled with untreated graphite and unloaded NBR. The thermal stability of the NBR filled with treated nanographite was studied using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), which showed an increase in thermal stability due to the presence of treated nanographite. The dielectric investigations reflected an increase in both the permittivity and dielectric loss with higher graphite contents and at a certain content, called the percolation threshold, an abrupt increase was noticed. The electrical conductivity (s) was found to be in the order 10-10 W-1 cm-1, which suggests these materials are suitable for antistatic applications.