Specialty Rubber Nanocomposites

Specialty rubbers are high-performance materials. As elastomers, they require a low modulus and high reversible elongation, but in all other properties, they must meet stringent requirements that vary depending on the application. They require properties ranging from high ultimate strength, high break strain, low permanent set, toughness, durability to cyclic strain, abrasion resistance, thermal resistance, and solvent or corrosive chemical resistance. Low hysteresis and high damping are alternatives that may be required. Fillers are added to contribute to many of these properties and nanofillers can be most effective because of large surface-area-to-volume ratio. The nanosized fillers contribute to the performance via specialized mechanisms such as resisting crack propagation, forming agglomerates, or edge bridging; having fibrous, platelet, or particulate shape; and maybe forming specific bonds with the polymer. Specialty elastomers consist of higher performing polymers each with their own particular characteristics: fluoroelastomers, polysiloxanes, and polyurethanes are typical examples. However, the use of nanofillers can increase the performance of commodity polymers for them to be considered specialty polymers as they open new applications