Enhancements of Thermal-Electric and Mechanical Properties of Thermoplastic Vulcanizates with Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes by Dynamic Vulcanization

Abstract

To achieve higher thermal electric and mechical properties in non-polar thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV), multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) as reinforcing nanofiller to prepare TPV/MWCNTs conductive elastomer composites by dynamic vulcanization. The thermodynamic calculation indicates that MWCNTs have a tendency to preferentially localize at the two-phase interface of PP and IIR during melt-blending processing. The morphology of TPV/MWCNTs composites elucidated from TEM micrograph exhibited that the IIR domains dispersed in the PP matrix, and most MWCNTs were dispersed at the two-phase interface and PP phase, which is mainly due to the effect of kinetic factors. When the MWCNTs content reached the percolation threshold (3 wt%), the network structure of MWCNTs was formed, the ac conductivity and dielectric permittivity increased sharply. Compared with pristine TPV, the thermal conductivity of TPV/MWCNTs composites increased 39.7 %. The MWCNTs can combine to the IIR network during dynamic vulcanization, and enhances the interface interaction of MWCNTs and TPV matrix, which is improve the tensile strength of TPV/MWCNTs composites.