The effect of functional zirconium phosphate on aging resistance of nitrile butadiene rubber composites

Abstract α‐Zirconium phosphate (α‐ZrP) is intercalated by 4‐aminodiphenylamine (RT) through cation exchange, and its product is named ZrP‐RT. The structure and morphology is characterized by FTIR, XRD, and SEM. RT intercalates into the α‐ZrP layer and RT has monolayer and bilayer permutations in the layer. ZrP‐RT is incorporated into nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) through mechanical blending, namely, NBR/ZT composites. The compatibility of ZrP‐RT and NBR is investigated by the contact angle test with water of ZrP‐RT, the fracture surface, and XRD of NBR/ZT composites. The introduction of RT significantly increases the dispersion of α‐ZrP in NBR. The aging resistance properties of NBR/ZT composites are tested by mechanical test. The antiaging effect of ZrP‐RT is better than commercial antioxidant. The aging mechanism of NBR/ZT is explored by DMA, equilibrium swelling test, and ATR‐FTIR. It indicates that ZrP‐RT can effectively inhibit the chain crosslink of NBR.