Abstract
The improvement of mechanical properties of polymer-based nanocomposites is usually obtained through a strong polymer–silica interaction. Most often, precipitated silica nanoparticles are used as filler. In this work, we study the synergetic effect occurring between dual silica-based fillers in a styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR)/polybutadiene (PBD) rubber matrix. Precipitated Highly Dispersed Silica (HDS) nanoparticles (10 nm) have been associated with spherical Stöber silica nanoparticles (250 nm) and anisotropic nano-Sepiolite. By imaging filler at nano scale through Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy, we have shown that anisotropic fillers align only in presence of a critical amount of HDS. The dynamic mechanical analysis of rubber compounds confirms that this alignment leads to a stiffer nanocomposite when compared to Sepiolite alone. On the contrary, spherical 250 nm nanoparticles inhibit percolation network and reduce the nanocomposite stiffness.
Highlights
The improvement of mechanical properties of rubber-based nanocomposites has been extensively investigated over the last decades
The influence of spherical/spherical and spherical/anisotropic dual fillers in nanocomposites has been studied through nine samples prepared with precipitated silica Highly Dispersed Silica (HDS) nanoparticles, silica Stöber nanoparticles of 250 nm diameter, and Sepiolite silica nanorods as fillers
Three composites have been prepared with 80 phr only one type of silica filler (i.e., HDS, or Stöber nanoparticles of 250 nm diameter, or Sepiolite silica nanorods) as references (Figure 1)
Summary
The improvement of mechanical properties of rubber-based nanocomposites has been extensively investigated over the last decades. As observed in the case of silica nanorods, the formation of oriented Sepiolite aggregates in the rubber matrix reinforce mechanical properties of composites [46]. In this work, we aim at studying the synergetic effect occurring between two types of hybrid silica-based fillers, fractal/spherical and fractal/anisotropic, on the mechanical properties of the synthesized nanocomposite.
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