Effects of grafting level and nano-clay loading on the properties of cured NR/PVA blends

The primary objective of this study is to improve the properties of NR/PVA blend which is cured using glutaraldehyde at low temperature. PMMA grafted on to NR with different grafting levels has been prepared and confirmed the grafting reaction by TEM, FT-IR and(1)H-NMR. The effect of PMMA contents on NR with 1 phr of nano-clay on the mechanical properties and thermal stability has also been investigated. Significant enhancement in mechanical and thermal stability of the blends with higher grafting level on NR is observed. Activation energy of degradation has been determined from TGA curves by using the Horowitz-Metzger equation. The nature of dispersion and surface morphology has been studied using SEM-EDX technique. The experimental results reveal that the properties can be improved by adding functional group (i.e. PMMA) onto NR molecule.