Morphology,physical and flame retardant properties of epoxidised natural rubber (ENR) organoclay compound

Epoxidised natural rubber (enr) has good oil resistance and gas barrier properties. despite a number of superior qualities,one of the drawbacks that limits usage of enr is its inherent high flammability. currently,much attention is focused on the use of layered silicates (clay),to produce materials with enhancedflame retardance and superior physical properties. therefore,in this study,we investigate the effect of nanoclay on the flame behaviour and physical properties of enr 50. several tests including limiting oxygen index (loi),underwriters laboratory (ul-94),tensile strength and morphology characterisation were performed on enr samples containing three different types of clay. it was found that flame from enr 50 filled with 10 p.p.h.r. for all types of clay tested could not self extinguish. according to the vertical burning test,ul-94,there is no classification or rating given to such materials. similarly,the incorporation of clay in enr did not enhance the loi value. the improvement in physical and barrier properties of enr containing c15a indicated that an exfoliated structure was formed in the rubber matrix as supported by the x-ray diffraction (xrd) and transmission electron microscopy (jem) results.