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The manufacture of flexible devices is of immense interest due to their eco-friendliness, economic prospects and wide range of applications in biocompatible devices. Therefore, this paper reports the characterization and properties of chlorinated natural rubber (Cl-NR)/polyindole (PIN) blend with different contents of nickel oxide (NiO) nanoparticles. The formation of blend nanocomposites was analysed by FT-IR, UV spectroscopy, XRD, FE-SEM, DSC and TGA. The FT-IR and UV spectra proved the effective interfacial interaction between nanoparticles and the blend matrix, with a shift in UV peak intensity with the attachment of NiO at 433 cm−1. The XRD pattern revealed the regular arrangement of the blend matrix due to the presence of nanofiller, resulting in the semicrystalline structure of the composite system. The SEM micrographs revealed a homogeneous distribution of NiO in the blend matrix. The increased degradation temperature in the TGA demonstrated the enhanced thermal stability of the NiO-filled Cl-NR/PIN blend. DSC results showed that the glass transition temperature of the composite increased with NiO content in the blend matrix. The dielectric properties and AC electrical conductivity increased significantly with increasing temperatures, as well as with the addition of nanoparticles up to 5 mass % loading. The inclusion of NiO improved the tensile strength and hardness while reducing the elongation-at-break of nanocomposites. The blend nanocomposite with enhanced thermal stability, glass transition temperature, tensile strength, AC conductivity and dielectric properties enables them to be used in highly flexible electronic applications where traditional elastomeric materials fall short. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new series of four different linear aliphatic ether linked aromatic bismaleimides (AEBMIs) were synthesized from the respective linear aliphatic ether-linked aromatic diamines and maleic anhydride. Further, the POSS-AEBMI nanocomposites were developed by Michael addition reaction of bismaleimide with varying mass percentages of octa(aminophenyl)silsesquioxane and were characterized by the fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis. Data from thermal studies revealed that the POSS-reinforced AEBMI nanocomposites possesses higher glass transition temperature ( Tg), thermal stability, limiting oxygen index, and lower dielectric constant when compare to that of neat AEBMI. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy analysis confirmed the molecular level dispersion of POSS in the AEBMI matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]