ItemArticle

StructureProperty Relationships Governing Rheological, Damping, and Thermal Behaviour of Immiscible Natural Rubber/Nitrile Rubber Blend Nanocomposites

Title
StructureProperty Relationships Governing Rheological, Damping, and Thermal Behaviour of Immiscible Natural Rubber/Nitrile Rubber Blend Nanocomposites
Creator
Thomas, Martin George; Vasudevan, Sanitha; Maria, Hanna J.; Nzihou, Ange; Scaffaro, Roberto; Morreale, Marco; Thomas, Sabu
Description
Polymer nanocomposites have been attracting significant interest over the last three decades. One of the most intriguing applications is related to the preparation of clay-filled nanocomposites based on rubber blend matrices. Although several studies already exist on the subject, there is limited information available regarding their rheological, thermal, and, particularly, damping behaviour of rubber blend systems. In this work, the rheological, viscoelastic, and thermal behaviour of a natural rubber/nitrile rubber (NR/NBR) blend nanocomposite containing organically modified nanoclay was systematically investigated, and the damping characteristics were also assessed. At a lower nanoclay concentration (5 phr), network formation through fillerfiller and fillerpolymer interactions led to partial immobilization of polymer chains, resulting in a pronounced increase in viscosity and enhanced viscoelastic response. In contrast, at higher nanoclay loading (10 phr), strong agglomeration of filler particles occurred, corresponding to a stacked clay morphology, which hindered effective fillerfiller network formation and weakened fillerpolymer interactions, leading to lower viscosity and reduced damping efficiency. The blend composition and filler content were found to significantly influence the investigated properties, especially the hysteresis loss and the thermal conductivity, which is explained by matrixfiller interactions and the resulting morphology of the system. 2026 by the authors.
Source
Polymers;Volume;18;Issue;4;Article No.;427;
Date
01-01-2026
Publisher
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)
Subject
elastomer blends; nanocomposites; natural rubber; nitrile butadiene rubber; thermal properties; viscoelastic properties
Coverage
Thomas M.G., Department of Physics and Electronics, Christ University, Bangalore, 560029, India; Vasudevan S., International and Inter University Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, IIUCNN, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, 686560, India; Maria H.J., International and Inter University Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, IIUCNN, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, 686560, India, Trivandrum Engineering, Science and Technology (TrEST) Research Park, Thiruvananthapuram, 695016, India; Nzihou A., IMT Mines Albi, RAPSODEE CNRS, UMR 5302, Universitde Toulouse, Campus Jarlard, Albi Cedex 09, F-81013, France; Scaffaro R., Department of Engineering, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Palermo, 90128, Italy; Morreale M., Department of Engineering and Architecture, Kore University of Enna, Cittadella Universitaria, Enna, 94100, Italy; Thomas S., Department of Physics and Electronics, Christ University, Bangalore, 560029, India, International and Inter University Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, IIUCNN, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, 686560, India, School of Energy Materials, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, 686560, India
Rights
All Open Access; Gold Open Access; Green Open Access
Relation
ISSN: 20734360;
Format
online
Language
English
Type
Article

Citation

Thomas, Martin George; Vasudevan, Sanitha; Maria, Hanna J.; Nzihou, Ange; Scaffaro, Roberto; Morreale, Marco; Thomas, Sabu, “StructureProperty Relationships Governing Rheological, Damping, and Thermal Behaviour of Immiscible Natural Rubber/Nitrile Rubber Blend Nanocomposites,” CHRIST (Deemed To Be University) Institutional Repository, accessed June 18, 2026, https://archives.christuniversity.in/items/show/23538.

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