Physico-mechanical, dynamic mechanical, and swelling properties of sodium chloride filled chlorobutyl vulcanizates

The effect of addition of rigid, nonreinforcing, and noninteracting filler viz. finely ground NaCl in chlorobutyl vulcanizates on properties such as physicomechanical, dynamic mechanical, and swelling has been studied. The nonreinforcing effect of NaCl in the system was studied by Russel and Cunnenn analysis and Kraus plots. Mechanical measurements of stress and strain at the break of filled and unfilled samples showed no appreciable change in the mechanical behavior of the system. The dynamic mechanical analysis showed that there is no change at all in the glass transition temperature with addition of NaCl filler. The damping properties showed an increase with increase in filler loading because of the filler-filler friction. The swelling behavior of NaCl-filled CIIR was studied for a period of 60 days in four different solvents of varying chemical energy potential viz. water, chloroform, acetone, and tetrahydrofuran (THF). The degree of swelling was found to increase continuously with time in water, which is a good solvent for the filler, and in THF, which is a good solvent for the polymer matrix. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.