Toughening of unsaturated polyester resin using liquid latex rubber and nanocellulose fillers: industrial application

Abstract Unsaturated polyester resin is the most versatile polymer with wide range of application but it has low impact strength, low elongation at break and low toughness. Its mechanical and microstructural properties can be enhanced by the addition of optimum amount of Nanocellulose, nanosilica fillers and latex liquid rubber. Mechanical and microstructural properties characterization of the composite material (resin, latex rubber and nanocellulose) has been tested for 0.5 %, 1 %, 3 %, & 5 % by weight of the latex liquid rubber as fiber weight fraction. The characterization has been done for tensile, compression, impact, bending, XRD (X-ray powder Diffraction method), FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy) and flexural test. The aim is to obtain modified polyester resin nano composite material with enhanced mechanical properties of strength and toughness for industrial and structural application such as packaging, composite matrix for improved vehicle bumper application, water tanker construction, adhesive application and biomedical industries. The composite material mechanical properties has been enhanced about 40 % for the tensile strength, 35 % for flexural, 65 % for compression strength and 10 % for impact strength up on the addition of 2 % nano cellulose with diameter of 10 nm as particle size and 3 % by weight liquid rubber polymer.