A polystyrene/silica hybrid nanomatrix formed in natural rubber

Our work aims to investigate the morphology and properties of natural rubber (NR) dispersed in a polystyrene/silica hybrid nanomatrix. The hybrid nanomatrix structure was formed by the graft copolymerization of vinyltriethoxysilane onto NR grafted with styrene. This hybrid nanomatrix structure was composed of nanosilica with a size of less than 100 nm, and the incorporation of polystyrene resulted in outstanding mechanical and viscoelastic properties. The tensile strength of NR with the hybrid nanomatrix structure was 23 MPa, and the storage modulus was 2.54 MPa, which were 2.5 and 15 times higher than those of the silica nanomatrix. The outstanding mechanical and viscoelastic properties of this NR material were attributed to the formation of the hybrid nanomatrix structure. The roles of polystyrene and silica and their synergetic effect were clarified by investigating the morphology and properties of the hybrid nanomatrix after acetone extraction and annealing.

Automated summary

Our research aimed to investigate the morphology and properties of natural rubber (NR) dispersed in a polystyrene/silica hybrid nanomatrix. The hybrid nanomatrix structure was formed by graft copolymerization, resulting in outstanding mechanical and viscoelastic properties. The tensile strength and storage modulus of NR with the hybrid nanomatrix structure were significantly higher than those of the silica nanomatrix, attributed to the formation of the hybrid nanomatrix structure.