Viscoelastic and thermal properties of natural rubber low-density polyethylene composites with boric acid and borax

• Published in: Journal of Applied Polymer Science
• Main Author: Abdulrahman S.T.; Ahmad Z.; Thomas S.; Maria H.J.; Rahman A.A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: John Wiley and Sons Inc. 2020
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85084432422&doi=10.1002%2fapp.49372&partnerID=40&md5=dbc14fc7e113b0b12934263b31a86229

The influence of boric acid (BA) and borax (BO) neutron-absorbing fillers on thermal stability and viscoelastic behavior of natural rubber (NR) low-density polyethylene composites has been studied. The thermal degradation and dynamic mechanical properties of the composites have been analyzed as a function of temperature. The results revealed the enhancement of thermal stability of the composites by the addition of BA and BO fillers. The flame resistance of the material was improved by the addition of both the fillers. The storage modulus was found to be dependent upon the temperature and nature of the filler. The amount of NR chains immobilized by filler particles has been quantified from dynamic mechanical analysis and secondary filler/filler interactions have been verified by the Payne effect analysis. Finally, the experimental results have been compared with theoretical predictions. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.