The Effects of Surface Chemical Interactions on the Properties of Filler-Reinforced Rubbers

Abstract

Abstract 1. Heat treatment of carbon black-rubber mixtures is a method of “in process” polymer grafting which gives a definite improvement in the dynamic properties of vulcanizates. 2. The heat treatment process can be more effective if chemical promoters are used. These chemical promoters function as coupling agents between filler surface and rubber. 3. With very unreactive butyl rubber an effective interaction is produced both by the addition of chemical promoters and by the use of specially active surface-modified carbon black. 4. In normal unsaturated rubbers, surface modifications of carbon black with a wide variety of groups has shown only minimal effects on rubber-reinforcing ability. Halogenated blacks have a pronounced effect on vulcanization kinetics, giving cured vulcanizates of high crosslink density. 5. Carbon black surfaces can be deactivated by calcining at high temperatures. The loss of surface-bound hydrogen may not account for this loss in surface activity. 6. Grafting of polymers to the surface of carbon black is a new method for surface deactivation. 7. Activation of carbon black surfaces by polymer grafting or other types of surface modification has not as yet been demonstrated for normal hydrocarbon rubbers.