Mechanical and Morphological Properties of Films Based on Ultrasound Treated Titanium Dioxide Dispersion/Natural Rubber Latex

Titanium dioxide dispersion was sonicated as an attempt to reduce its particle sizes and thereafter used as fillers in making natural rubber (NR) composite films. Fillers of reduced particle sizes, owing to enhanced surface areas and aspect ratios, usually result in unique property improvements. The reinforcing effects of untreated and sonicated samples of the fillers were, therefore, compared through the measurement of tensile properties of the dry films. Results, however, indicated a monotonic decrease in moduli with filler content, contrary to behaviour due to conventional fillers, but showed improvement in both elongation at break and tensile strength data at low filler concentration (2phr), and thereafter a decrease in the trend. The affinity between the filler and matrix was examined using the composite theory of Einstein. Theoretical prediction of Young’s moduli from this was compared against experimental data and it was found that there was certain level of interfacial interaction.