Preparation and Characterization of Acrylonitrile Butadiene Rubber Reinforced with Bio-Hydroxyapatite from Fish Scale

This work aims to enhance the mechanical properties, oil resistance, and thermal properties of acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) by using the Nile tilapia fish scales as a filler and using bis(triethoxysilylpropyl)tetrasulfide (TESPT) as a coupling agent (CA). The prepared fish scale particles (FSp) are B-type hydroxyapatite and the particle shape is rod-like. The filled NBR with FSp at 10 phr increased tensile strength up to 180% (4.56 +/- 0.48 MPa), reduced oil absorption up to 155%, and increased the decomposition temperature up to 4 degrees C, relative to the unfilled NBR. The addition of CA into filled NBR with FSp at 10 phr increased tensile strength up to 123% (5.62 +/- 0.42 MPa) and percentage of elongation at break up to 122% relative to the filled NBR with FSp at 10 phr. This work demonstrated that the prepared FSp from the Nile tilapia fish scales can be used as a reinforcement filler to enhance the NBR properties for use in many high-performance applications.

Automated summary

This study aims to improve the mechanical properties, oil resistance, and thermal properties of NBR by using Nile tilapia fish scales as a filler and TESPT as a coupling agent. The addition of FSp at 10 phr increased the tensile strength by 180%, reduced oil absorption by 155%, and increased the decomposition temperature by 4 degrees C. The addition of CA further enhanced the tensile strength and elongation at break of the filled NBR with FSp at 10 phr. The prepared FSp from Nile tilapia fish scales can be used as a reinforcement filler to enhance the NBR properties for high-performance applications.