Enhancing thermal and mechanical properties of polypropylene-nitrile butadiene rubber nanocomposites through graphene oxide functionalization

Recently, the applications in the automotive and packaging sectors have been developed for rubber-toughened Polypropylene (PP) nanocomposites with desired thermal and mechanical properties. In this work, PP/Nitrile butadiene rubber (PP/NBR) blends and nanocomposites containing graphene oxide (GO) and chemically functionalized GO with gamma-glycidoxy propyl trimethoxy silane (GPTMS) and aminopropyl triethoxy silane (APTS) were prepared and studied via melt blending process using Brabender mixer. In addition, the effect of three compatibilizer components (PP-g-MAH, PP-g-NH2, and PP-g-OH) on the properties of the systems was also investigated. The intercalation of polymer chains into GO and functionalized GO layers was confirmed by XRD analysis. According to the TGA findings, the addition of GO-APTS, GO-GPTMS, and compatibilizers significantly improved the thermal stability. The incorporation of graphene materials increased the PP/NBR melting and crystallization temperatures, as well as the degree of crystallinity, according to DSC analyses. Moreover, from the mechanical evaluation, PP/NBR/PP-g-NH2/GPTMS-GO exhibited superior Elongation at break and impact resistance compared to the other compatibilized nanocomposites.