Thermophysical and mechanical properties of TiO ₂ and silica nanoparticle-filled natural rubber composites

The mechanical and thermophysical properties of natural rubber filled with titanium dioxide (TiO ₂ ) and nanosilica composites have been investigated at room temperature for several filler concentrations. It is observed that the thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of the composites increase with filler loading, independent of the nature of the filler. We show that the thermal heat transport through composites is affected by the geometry of the fillers as well as the particle size and specific surface area of the fillers. The measured values of thermal conductivity have been compared to some theoretical models. The mechanical properties of the composites have also been studied and results have been correlated with thermal conductivity data.