Preparation and properties of PVC ternary nanocomposites containing elastomeric nanoscale particles and exfoliated sodium-montmorillonite

A novel rigid PVC ternary nanocomposite containing NBR-ENP and untreated Na-MMT has been fabricated. X-ray diffraction XRD, TEM and SEM observations revealed that the untreated Na-MMT was exfoliated and most NBR-ENPs (about 90 nm) were separately dispersed in the PVC matrix. DMTA and TGA demonstrated that the PVC ternary nanocomposites had a higher glass transition temperature and a higher decomposition temperature than neat PVC, while the toughness increased simultaneously. Combustion tests showed that the exfoliated clay in the PVC/NBR-ENP/MMT ternary nanocomposites did not improve the flame retardancy after ignition under strong heat flux.