Improved Compatibility between Silica and natural Rubber by the use of Carbonyl-terminated low Molecular-Weight natural Rubber

摘要

Carbonyl-terminated low molecular weight natural rubber (CLNR) was prepared by a scission reaction in the latex state. The compatibility of silica-filled natural rubber (NR) incorporated with various contents of the CLNR were investigated. In the presence of small amounts of the CLNR, the increase in filler-rubber interaction and decrease in filler-filler interaction of the silica-filled NR compounds could be observed. The SEM images revealed the good dispersion of silica in the rubber compound containing small amounts of CLNR. By adding an appropriate amount of the CLNR, the vulcanization time and crosslink density could be promoted. On the other hand, the excess amount of the CLNR showed detrimental effects.