Optimizing the mechanical properties of PVC/NBR/Graphene nanocomposite for achieve maximum tensile strength and elongation at break

In this study, a nanocomposite based on polyvinyl chloride (PVC)/nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR)/Graphene nanoplates was prepared by melt mixing method. The response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to investigate the effect of weight percentages of NBR elastomer and graphene nanosheets on the mechanical properties (tensile strength and elongation at break) of the PVC/NBR/graphene nanocomposite. Mathematical relationships for the mechanical properties of the nanocomposite were presented using analysis of variance (ANOVA) table, and the degree of influence of each material parameter on the mechanical properties was studied. The comparison of mathematical relationships and experimental results showed low error. Additionally, the microstructure of the samples was examined using scanning electron microscope (SEM) to confirm the results. The results showed that by increasing the weight percentage of graphene nanosheets from 0 to 2% and decreasing NBR from 40 to 20% weight percentage in the nanocomposite, the tensile strength increases while the elongation at break decreases. By optimizing the mechanical properties to achieve maximum tensile strength (15.4 MPa) and maximum elongation at break (107.6%), the weight percentages of graphene nanosheets and NBR will be respectively 0.81 and 35.18%.