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Preparation of Natural rubber/Polypyrrole/Clay Composites by Chemical Oxidative Polymerization

Rungaroon Saelim ,  Supawan Tantayanon 

Functional Polymer & Petrochemistry Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Payathai road, Bangkok 10330, Thailand

Abstract

Conductive rubbers nanocomposites may be used instead of metallic conductors because the soft materials have the obvious advantage of flexibility and ability to absorb mechanical shock. Both soft and rigid materials have the following advantages over metals: ease of shaping, low density, wide range of electrical conductivity, and corrosion resistance. Conductive rubber nanocomposites has been investigated in this research, natural rubber/polypyrrole/montmorillonite composites (NR/PPy/MMT) were prepared by chemical oxidative polymerization of pyrrole in a suspension of montmorillonite (MMT) and natural rubber latex using ferric chloride as oxidizing agent. For finding the suitable conductive rubber composites their conductivity properties were evaluated. The conductivity of NR/PPy/5%MMT composite prepared by both 5%MMT and natural rubber latex were mixed together prier to adding the monomer before mixing with an oxidant was 6 Scm-1 at weight ratio of natural rubber/pyrrole about 0.8. In addition, the conductivity of NR/PPy composite at the same condition was 5 Scm-1. It was a slightly lower than NR/PPy/MMT. It concluded that the intercalation of conductive rubber into clay layers may result in the formation of hybrid materials with good electrical conductivity. The thermal stability of these composites were also investigated. The first significant weight loss in MMT and PPy occurs already at temperature between 50-100oC because of their hydroscopic nature. The peak degradation temperature of the NR/PPy/MMT composites are seen at 324 and 467oC, corresponding to the decomposition of PPy and NR.

 

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Presentation: poster at E-MRS Fall Meeting 2005, Symposium E, by Rungaroon Saelim
See On-line Journal of E-MRS Fall Meeting 2005

Submitted: 2005-05-16 22:17
Revised:   2009-06-07 00:44