Fracture behaviour of acrylonitrile–butadiene rubber/clay nanocomposite

A new fracture behaviour is described for acrylonitrile–butadiene rubber/clay nanocomposite. The nanocomposite is prepared by melt mixing the organo-treated montmorillonite into the rubber matrix, together with a peroxide curative, and crosslinked by conventional compression moulding for typical rubbers. A considerable enhancement in stiffness is observed without serious sacrifice in ultimate strength. A totally different tear morphology of a series of regularly-spaced tear ridges parallel to the direction of tearing was observed instead of the typical ‘cross-hatched morphology’ of conventional rubber composites. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry