Thermal and Water Absorption Characteristics of Rubber Composites Reinforced with different Plant Biomass

OBOH JOHNSOH OSEGHALE, OKAFOR JOSEPH O, KOVO ABDULSALAMI S, ABDULRAHMAN ASIPITA S

Abstract


The use of plant biomass as sources of cellulosic material for the reinforcement of polymer matrix is taking up a lot of research space due to their specific strength and stiffness, availability, renewability, sustainability and environmental friendliness. However their tendency to absorb water, low thermal stability and poor compatibility with hydrophobic polymer matrix still hamper their use on industrial scale. In this study, cellulosic nanoparticles were obtained from some selected plant biomass namely coconut husk, bamboo and cotton linter for the preparation of natural rubber composites. The resultant composites were compared with rubber composite reinforced with commercially purchased N330 carbon black in terms of thermal stability and thermo-molecular decomposition using Thermogravimetric Analyser (TGA) and Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC) respectively. The effect of varying filler volume fraction and period of water immersion on % water absorption of composite samples were also studied. DSC results showed that cold crystallization and crystalline melting temperatures of rubber reinforced with 25 pphr of coconut husk, bamboo, cotton linters nanoparticles and carbon black occurred at temperatures of 67 & 358, 70.3 & 361.5, 70.5 & 365 and 70.4 & 365 OC respectively while that of reference neat rubber was 65.9 & 354 OC. Results also showed that there was no water uptake by any of samples within the first 4 days, however equilibrium swelling was obtained at about the sixteenth day of immersion. The highest amount of water uptake was 5.68 % for cotton linter based composites at 30 pphr filler content.


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