Preparation and Characteristics of a Novel Silicone Rubber Nanocomposite Based on Organophilic Montmorillonite

Novel room-temperature-vulcanized silicone rubber (RTV-SR)/organic montmorillonite (OMMT) nanocomposites were prepared by a solution intercalation process. Di(2-oxyethyl)-12 alkane- 3 methyl-amine chloride was used as the intercalation agent to treat Na°-montmorillonite and form a new kind of OMMT. Four types of RTV-SR/OMMT composites were synthesized with different amounts of OMMT. Properties such as tensile strength, differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were measured and compared. A combination of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) and transmission electronic microscopy (TEM) studies showed that RTV-SR/OMMT composites were on the nanometer scale and the presence of OMMT interfered with the segmented structure of RTV-SR, due to the reaction between the monomer and the intercalation agent. Results showed that the RTV-SR system with 10 phr OMMT has the best physical and mechanical properties due to the exfoliation of OMMT and the resultant nano-effect on the system