Structure-property relationship of highly crosslinked rubber-iron oxide composite based on chloroprene rubber (CR) as well as on nitrile rubber (NBR); a comparative study using different models

Highly crosslinked elastomer-iron oxide composite for grinding as well as for polishing application. With the recent introduction of organic acid-based coolants in polishing applications, the designed composites should have good resistance to oils. This investigation reports the preparation and properties of high crosslinked elastomer-iron oxide composites based on Chloroprene Rubber (CR) as well as on Nitrile Rubber (NBR) as main elastomer matrix and their comparative study. In NBR system, a small amount of natural rubber (NR) was used to improve the abrasion resistance. The crosslink density (CLD) was determined from the plateau modulus in DMA using Nielsen’s model. CLD was also determined based on the equilibrium-swelling ratio by using Flory-Rehner model. The CLD at lower cure time estimated by both methods was substantially different. Nevertheless, it converges to a common value at highly crosslinked state. Highly crosslinked CR shows 500% higher modulus at high temperature when compared to the NBR system. Highly crosslinked elastomeric composites based on Chloroprene Rubber (CR) as well as Nitrile Rubber (NBR) with high iron oxide content were prepared. This investigation gives insights into the fabrication of composites and evaluates the network structure of highly crosslinked composites. Different models were used to characterize the elastomeric network structures in the composites.