Effect of High-Dispersed Nano-ZnO on the Properties of Vulcanized Natural Rubber

High-dispersed nano-ZnO were used for alternating ordinary ZnO in the vulcanization process of nature rubber. The properties of vulcanized natural rubber including the mechanical properties and anti-aging properties were investigated in this paper. The results showed that high-dispersed nano-ZnO made natural rubber the scorched time longer, the degrees of cross-linking higher and anti-aging properties remarkably stronger, compared with 99.5 % of ordinary ZnO under the same vulcanization conditions. Specially, when 0.8 dosages of high-dispersed nano-ZnO being used, the mechanical properties and anti-aging ability of natural rubber were best and better than that of 5 dosages of 99.5 % of ordinary ZnO in traditional formula. The reasons may be that high-dispersed nano-ZnO were completely resolved in rubber and can fully be contacted with the double bond of rubber molecules and the surface of sulfur so that they increased the efficiency of rubber vulcanization to improve the properties of natural rubber.