Improvement of interfacial interaction, dispersion, and properties of chlorosulfonated polyethylene/sio2 nanocomposites using CSPE-g-Sio2 nanoparticles synthesized under ultrasonics

Chlorosulfonated polyethylene (CSPE) is a widely used elastomer because of the resistance to gases and aggressive chemicals, fire-retarding, and electric insulating properties. Silica nanoparticles were usually introduced into the elastomer to improve its critical properties. However, there were some problems of strong aggregation and poor dispersion of nanoparticles in the nanocomposites. In this work, an efficient approach of grafting matrix CSPE onto silica surface was proposed to solve the problems. CPSE-g-SiO2 nanoparticles were prepared via an in situ radical reaction between ?Cl in CSPE and Si?OH on silica surface under ultrasonics. The successful chemical graft reaction was confirmed using Fourier transform infrared, ultravioletvisible spectroscopy, 1H-NMR, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Thermogravimetric analysis indicated that the grafting amount of CSPE was 4.68 wt%. Grafting CSPE onto silica surface significantly improved the dispersion of CSPE-g-SiO2 nanoparticles in CSPE matrix and the interfacial interaction. Therefore, the mechanical, thermal stability, damping capacity, and rheology properties of CSPE/CSPE-g-SiO2 nanocomposites were improved. POLYM. COMPOS., 2012. (C) 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers