Enhanced thermo‐physical properties of nitrile‐butadiene rubber nanocomposites filled with simultaneously reduced and functionalized graphene oxide

3‐Mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTMS) modified exfoliated graphene oxide (GO)/nitrile‐butadiene rubber (NBR) nanocomposites were fabricated by latex compounding method. The modification and reduction of GO were simultaneously conducted in situ by a one‐pot design. The reductant, ammonium hydroxide was employed to mildly reduce GO at 78°C. The GO exfoliation, MPTMS modified GO (MGO), and the dispersion of GO sheets in rubber matrix were studied using Wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It is evident that GO sheets are uniformly dispersed in the rubber matrix. The one‐pot design can significantly promote the reduction process and the surface modification of GO, simultaneously. The reduction was confirmed by morphology analysis and FT‐IR analysis of uncured rubber compounds. The mechanical properties of pristine NBR/GO and NBR/MGO nanocomposites were studied within a filler range of 0–2 phr. The NBR/MGO composites exhibited superior mechanical property and higher storage modulus attributing to the stronger interfacial interaction via covalent bonding between MGO and NBR molecules compared with the NBR/GO composites connected by weaker π–π stacking. POLYM. COMPOS., 39:3227–3235, 2018. © 2017 Society of Plastics Engineers