A Key to Enhancement of Compatibility and Dispersion in Elastomer Blends

摘要

Blending of elastomers and rubber additives is still a challenge in rubber compounding, because the compatibility of compound ingredients is rather low. Surface treatment by a plasma polymer coating allows tailoring the surface characteristics of additives, thus improving the compatibility of polymers and fillers. A study on the effect of different monomers for the surface coating of carbon black, silica and sulfur was done, and the dispersion and distribution of the additives in the polymer matrix as well as the morphology were investigated, as was the influence on mechanical properties. Silica was found to be easily coated by different monomers compared to carbon black and sulfur. The effect of plasma-treated materials on the morphological and mechanical properties of the composites was varying with the chemical structure of the coating, allowing tailoring the additive-polymer interaction according to the requirements.