Comparative study on mechanical, thermal, and morphological properties of nanocomposites based on polyetherimide (PEI)/silicone rubber reinforced with different nanofillers

This paper presents the investigating results of the effect of different nanofillers like unmodified and modified halloysite nanotubes (HNT), nanosilica, and nano-titanium on the mechanical and thermal properties of polyetherimide (PEI)/silicone rubber-based nanocomposites. The PEI/silicone rubber nanocomposites reinforced with different nanofillers at 3 phr were prepared with the aid of a co-rotating twin-screw extruder. The developed nanocomposites were compared by various mechanical properties, thermal properties, and dynamic mechanical analyses. Morphological properties have been visualized by scanning electron microscope. The results obtained depict that the tensile strength, tensile modulus, storage modulus, and glass transition temperature have significantly increased with the incorporation of modified HNT at 3 phr loading due to the interfacial and inter-tubular interactions between HNT and polymer matrices. The enhancement in glass transition temperature may be because of the restricted movement of the polymer chains by the nanofillers, and the formation of HNT zig-zag structures is the main reason for the improvement of various properties. The bridging effect of modified nanosilica at the blend interface may also be responsible for the enhancement of elongation at break and impact strength which is higher than other nanofillers.