Linear rheology of carbon black filled polystyrene

Abstract

Filling can cause polymer melt to undergo a so-called fluid-to-solid transition usually assigned to filler networking effect and heterogeneously retarded polymer dynamics while theories developed nowadays could not account for the several important aspects involving in the reinforcement and dissipation of the composites including the influence of molecular weight of the matrix. Herein linear dynamic rheological behaviors of carbon black filled polystyrene (PS) was investigated, disclosing significantly influences of weight-averaged molecular weight (Mw) of PS on the reinforcement and dissipation in and beyond the hydrodynamics regime. Attempts to create rheological master curves in hydrodynamics regime, taking account for both dynamics retardation in bulk polymer phase and strain amplification effect induced by filler, disclose time-concentration superpositions. The viscoelastic contributions from the dynamically retarded polymer phase and the viscoelastic “filler phase” are thus evaluated.