Thermal conductivity and dynamic mechanical analysis of NiZn ferrite nanoparticles filled thermoplastic natural rubber nanocomposite

The effect of NiZn ferrite nanoparticles on the thermal behaviour of thermoplastic natural rubber (TPNR) composite is investigated. Melt blending technique was employed to prepare TPNR matrix, which comprised of natural rubber (NR), liquid natural rubber (LNR) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) in a ratio of 20:10:70. Dynamic mechanical analysis results show that the thermal stability of the nanocomposites enhanced with increasing filler loading. Moreover, thermal conductivity of the nanocomposites increased with filler content until 8 wt%, which is believed to be the optimum loading that formed the suitable percolated network for phonon conduction facilitation. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.