Facile fabrication of mesostructured natural rubber/silica nanocomposites with enhanced thermal stability and hydrophobicity.

ABSTRACT: Natural rubber (NR)/hexagonal mesoporous silica (HMS) nanocomposites (NRHMS) with enhanced thermal and hydrophobic properties were facilely prepared via in situ sol-gel formation with pH adjustment using a low sulphuric acid (H₂SO₄) acid concentration. The effect of the amount of 0.5 M H₂SO₄ (2.5-10 g) added into the pre-synthesis mixture on the physicochemical properties of the obtained NRHMS nanocomposites was investigated. With a small addition of H₂SO₄ solution, the fabricated NRHMS nanocomposite possessed an improved wormhole-like mesostructure arrangement with a thicker silica wall, which retarded the thermal decomposition of the NR phase, as deduced from the auto-oxidation of NR by thermogravimetric analysis. The H

SUBMITTER: Chaowamalee S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6917676 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature