The Effect of NaY nano-Zeolite on the Mechanical Properties of Silicon Insoles

The chemical composition of the insoles inbounded materials influences some of the mechanical properties of silicon insoles including; tensile strain and modules and moisture adsorption potential. Therefore, the selection of raw materials during the construction of medical insoles is absolutely important. The aim of the present study was to measure the potential of NaY nano-zeolite to improve the mechanical properties of silicon insoles. NaY zeolite was obtained from the aqueous solution of Na2SiO3 (30%) with Na2Al2O4 (20%). Silicone cylindrical samples with 4 x 4 cm diameter and a thickness of about 1 cm were obtained from commercial components. The XRD, FE-SEM and BET techniques were applied to characterize NaY zeolite nano-powders. Then, NaY zeolite was used as an additive in the preparation phase of silicone cylindrical samples of medical insoles. Finally, their moisture adsorption and tensile properties were measured. X-ray diffraction analysis of NaY zeolite shows the anorthic phase of zeolite. The crystallite size was calculated using the Scherer equation as 119 nm. The sample shows the high surface area as 405 m(2)/g and the pore volume of 0.33 cm(3)/g. The findings of our study are as follows: The tensile strength of the samples was found to be from 11 to 21 N. The sample containing 3%(w/w) of zeolite showed higher tensile values. The water absorption increased with the addition of zeolite dosages. NaY zeolite as an additive improved the mechanical properties of the samples. Compared to selected metal oxides, the zeolite can significantly improve the mechanical properties of the medical insoles.