Preparation of fluororubber/carbon nanotube composites and the effect of carbon nanotubes on aging resistance and solvent resistance of fluororubber

Improvement of the aging resistance of the rubber composites for oil and gas exploitation has been attracting the interest of scientists. In this work, the Fluororubber (FKM)/multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNTs) composites were prepared to prolong the service life of sealing materials for packers, and the effect of MWCNTs on the vulcanization parameters, mechanical properties, aging resistance and medium resistance of FKM were studied, respectively. The results showed that with an increase of MWCNTs in content, both the maximum torque (M-H) and the positive curing time (t(90)) gradually increased. The tensile strength and hardness of the FKM composites exhibited the trend of increase, and decrease tendence in elongation at break; The FKM composites showed good aging resistance at 177 degrees C, 204 degrees C and 232 degrees C for 192 h in a dilute oxygen environment. After immersed in mediums for 20% H2SO4, 28% NH3 center dot H2O and acid mixture solution with 1 of pH value for 192 h, the mechanical properties decreased slightly over the experiment period. The high temperature aging resistance and corrosion resistance of FKM composites in mediums did not show a positive relationship with the MWCNTs content. The appropriate addition of MWCNTs exhibited better enhancement effect.