Experimental study of microstructure, thermal and mechanical properties of PA6/NBR nanocomposites reinforced with graphene nanoparticle

In this study, thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) nanocomposites based on polyamide-6 (PA6) and acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) reinforced by Graphene nanoparticle (GNP) were prepared via a Haake internal mixer. The effects of GNP content (0.5, 1 and 2 wt %) on the thermal, mechanical, and microstructure properties of three composition ratios of PA6/NBR (90/10, 70/30 and 50/50) nanocomposites were investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and mechanical (tensile and impact) test were performed to determine the morphology and mechanical and thermal properties of this nanocomposite. The results showed that the mechanical characteristics of the PA6/NBR/GNP nanocomposites such as the tensile and modulus strength increased with increasing of GNP content in PA6/NBR blends, while these properties decreased when NBR content increased. Investigating the effect of GNP and NBR content on the crystallization behavior of PA6/NBR/GNP nanocomposites show that the crystallization temperature of PA6 increased with the presence of GNP whereas the increase in NBR phase content leads to reduction of crystallization temperature. The storage modulus of PA6 shifts to higher value with the presence of GNP. The improvement of the storage modulus, with the introduction of nanoparticles was the result of the extraordinary stiffness of GNPs and the restricted mobility of the polymer chains.