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Effect of the Addition of Toluene on the Structure and Properties of Styrene‐Isoprene‐Butadiene Rubber/Montmorillonite Nanocomposites

Styrene-isoprene-butadiene rubber/montmorillonite nanocomposites were synthesized by the addition of toluene into clay and living anionic polymerization. These silicate layers (B-M) were exfoliated within 30 min after polymerization initiation, whereas the layers in the nanocomposites prepared without using toluene (A-M) were only partially exfoliated and not well-dispersed in the matrix. The results of TEM and X-ray diffraction revealed disperse silicates and a strong interaction between the terpolymer matrix and clay in the B-M nanocomposites. The B-M-exfoliated nanocomposites exhibited higher decomposition and glass transition temperatures, storage moduli, tensile strengths and elongations at the break than those of the pure terpolymer and A-M. With an organophilic montmorillonite (OMMT) content of 3 wt.-%, the exfoliated nanocomposite exhibited the best thermal stability and mechanical properties. In addition, GPC and 1 H NMR results showed that the introduction of OMMT caused a slight increase in the M w of terpolymer, but hardly affected the microstructure of the terpolymer independent of the preparation method. Thus, the addition of toluene plays an important role in enhancing the dispersion of OMMT, which leads to the improvement of the structure and properties of the B-M nanocomposites.