High performance NBR/fly ash composites prepared by an environment-friendly method

Fly ash (FA) is a solid waste from coal-fired power stations, which can cause serious environmental problems without further treatment. Although FA has been successfully utilized in building materials , the reuse of FA in the polymer industry has remained a great challenge due to the difficulty in organically-modifying the smooth surfaces of FA particles. In this study, by introducing tannic acid (TA, a naturally occurring plant polyphenol), nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR)/FA/TA composites were prepared via a simple environment-friendly method. The properties of the products were thoroughly investigated and experiments showed that the TA incorporation into NBR/FA composites resulted in formation of hydrogen bonds among NBR, FA, and TA, leading to dramatic improvement in surface adhesion between NBR and FA. As a consequence, the tensile strength of the NBR/20FA/0.4 TA composite was ~110.4% larger than that of NBR/20FA composite, thus opening a new route to large-scale practical use of FA in the polymer industry.