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Article: Thermoset rubber/layered silicate nanocomposites. Status and future trends.
- Article from:
- Polymer Engineering and Science
- Article date:
- June 1, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 Society of Plastics Engineers, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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INTRODUCTION
Although the terms "nanocomposite" and "nanomaterial" were introduced only recently, such materials (e.g. carbon black-filled rubbers) have been produced on the industrial scale for more than five decades (1). The concept of polymer nanoreinforcement with layered silicate, credited to researchers at Toyota Central Research and Development Laboratories (Japan), is a new development from the late 1980s. Layered silicates of natural and synthetic origin exhibit several interesting properties that can well be exploited for the property modification of polymers (e.g. Refs. 2-4). First, they show swelling capability in water and other fluids. Second, ...