Soy spent flakes (SSF) used in this study is mostly a soy carbohydrate fraction in soybean. Soybean can be processed into soybean oil and defatted soy flour. SSF is mostly an insoluble carbohydrate after most of soy protein and soy whey, a soluble carbohydrate, are removed from defatted soy flour. SSF is a by-product or residue in the commercial extraction process of soy protein isolate. It is an abundant and inexpensive renewable material, but it has little commercial value at this time. Dry SSF is a rigid material and has a shear elastic modulus of ~ 4 GPa under ambient conditions. Because the high rigidity of a reinforcement phase is one of the requirements in rubber reinforcement, dry SSF is therefore a possible candidate for this application. However, previous studies indicate SSF reinforced rubber composites have less than desired modulus recovery after the consecutive deformation cycles In this study, the objective is to explore the co-filler effect by using a mixture of SSF and CB as reinforcement fillers. In rubber reinforcement, factors such as aggregate structure, effective filler volume fraction, filler rubber interaction and elastic modulus of filler clusters have important impact on the modulus of rubber composites. For practical applications, the issue of moisture sensitivity in some applications may associate with natural materials, but it may be improved through product formulation, processing method, and/or selective applications. For example, it may be used as a component in multi-layered structures, in coated objects, in elevated temperature applications or as a rubber part in greasy/oily environments where the moisture effect is minimal.
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