Influence of ionic liquid on rheological behaviors of candle soot and cellulose nanocrystal filled natural rubber nanocomposites

Carbonaceous soot nanoparticles are used as novel filler in combination with cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) to prepare natural rubber (NR) nanocomposites to which ionic liquid (IL) 1-allyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride is used to enhance the filler-rubber interaction. Nanocomposites of candle soot (CS) and CNC well dispersed in NR were prepared by latex mixing and mechanical mixing followed by vulcanization. The presence of IL causes a slight agglomeration of the fillers but it improves bound rubber content and crosslinking degree. Both the fillers and IL improve dynamic modulus and tensile stress while they lower loss tangent in the linear viscoelastic region, providing a perspective for manufacturing high-performance rubber materials using novel fillers and modifiers.

Automated summary

In this study, natural rubber nanocomposites were prepared using novel fillers and modifiers. Both the fillers and ionic liquid improved the mechanical properties of the material without affecting the dispersion of the nanoparticles during processing.