Determination of the modes of action of a cationic surfactant for property development in silica-filled natural rubber compounds

✍ Scribed by H. Ismail; P.K. Freakley

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1996
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 546 KB
• Volume: 32
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0014-3057
• DOI: 10.1016/0014-3057(95)00171-9

✦ Synopsis

Work has been carried out to separate the contributions of a diamine salt of fatty acid [termed a multifunctional additive (MFA)] of a silica-filled natural rubber (NR) compound to property development by (1) improved filler dispersion from elastomer-filler interface, (2) mastication of the NR, (3) modification of the NR-silica interface, and [4] cross-link density effect. Results have shown that there is a substantial increase in mechanical properties at equivalent filler dispersion level due to the effect of MFA on cross-link density. Between 0 and 0.3 phr of MFA, the enhancement of the mechanical properties is due to improvement in silica dispersion. The addition of MFA accelerates filler disagglomeration and results in reduction of the effective volume fraction of filler, as agglomerate breakdown releases immobilized rubber. When the level of MFA is more than 0.3 phr, the cross-link density becomes the dominant factor for mechanical property enhancement. However, after the optimum amount of MFA is exceeded, the properties start to deteriorate owing to weak interfacial interaction between adjacent layers of MFA molecules.