The overall performance of graphene oxide-reinforced epichlorohydrin rubber nanocomposites

Abstract

In this work, the nanocomposites based on epichlorohydrin rubber (ECO) and graphene oxide (GO) have been prepared by solvent blending followed by open mill mixing, which is known to be an effective way of dispersing nanofillers within a polymer matrix. The successful dispersion of GO sheets within the ECO matrix has been confirmed by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The incorporation of 1.5 vol.% of GO sheets into the ECO matrix enhances the breaking stress and stress at 200% strain values of ECO by 67% and 139%, respectively, which is due to the strong interfacial interactions between the polar groups in ECO and the oxygen-containing functional groups on the surfaces of GO sheets. This general finding is further corroborated by the fact that ECO's glass transition temperature increased from − 18 to − 14 °C with a 1.5 vol% GO content. The initial degradation temperature, the maximum degradation temperature and the percentage residue of ECO consistently increase with the concentration of GO due to the enhanced interfacial interaction between ECO and GO through chemical bonding, which delays the initial degradation by hampering the process of degradation. The uniform dispersion of GO sheets within the ECO matrix, along with improved interactions between GO sheets and ECO, results in the formation of a densely interconnected network of GO layers within the ECO chains. Consequently, this enhances the oil and fuel resistance of the ECO-GO nanocomposites. The fascinating results and outcomes of this investigation will pave the way for the development of fuel and oil-resistant materials with improved physico-mechanical properties.