Abstract:
This research was divided into 2 parts. Part I, silica surface modification and characterization: the 3 types of silane coupling agent (SCA) were used to modify surfaces of precipitated silica (PSi) by silanization reaction. The characteristics of surface-modified PSi were determined by BET technique, particle size analysis, Sear number, Zeta potential, elementary analysis, DRIFT and 29Si NMR spectroscopy. Also, a relative grafting ratio of silane onto surfaces of PSi prepared under different conditions was calculated. The 3 types of SCAs used in this work were: 3- aminopropyl triethoxysilane (APTES), 3-chloropropyl triethoxysilane (CPTES) and bis (3-triethoxysilylpropyl) tetrasulfide (TESPT) with various loadings up to 8 % by weight of PSi. Results revealed that the highest performance of grafting at a given SCA loading is found in TESPT-modified PSi. Part II was focused on the influence of PSi surface modification on properties of rubber compounds and vulcanizates. Polychloroprene rubber (CR) was mixed with unmodified and silane-modified PSi. Cure, viscoelastic, mechanical and dynamic properties of PSi filled CR were investigated. The Payne effect magnitude and bound rubber content were used to demonstrate the reinforcement behavior and the rubber-filler interaction of PSi filled CR, respectively. Moreover, the properties of rubber compounds as affected by different surface treatment techniques (i.e., in-situ and pre-modified techniques) were compared. Among APTES, CPTES and TESPT silanes, both APTES and TESPT were capable of reducing the filler network formation to a greater extent than the CPTES, leading to the superior compound processability especially when prepared by the insitu technique. Mechanical properties of vulcanizates were investigated, and the results reveal that the type and loading of SCAs affect not only the compound processability, but also the vulcanizate mechanical properties. Moreover, the amino and mercapto groups of APTES and TESPT, respectively, significantly enhance the mechanical properties of CR vulcanizates more effectively than the chloro groups of CPTES. This might be ascribed to the combined effects of enhanced rubber-filler interaction, improved filler dispersion and state-of-mix as evidenced by Payne effect and SEM results.