Abstract
The state of filler dispersion in rubbers has been, in general, observed by means of a transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In the case of silicone rubber, however, TEM has seldom been applicable to such an observation, which may be attributable to the fact that the ultramicrotome method is difficult to apply for preparation of the specimens for reasons of its very low glass transition point.In this paper, the specimens of silica-dispersed silicone rubber were prepared by the modified well-known freeze fracture, and a scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was successfully applied to observation of the despersion of silidca. The aggregates of silica with the diameter of over 10μm were observed clearly in shape. Further, it was found that the rubber areas with no silica filler existed around the aggregate in case of the surface-untreated silica dispersed, while such areas could not be noticed in case of the surface-treated silica dispersed.
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