Poly(Dimethylsiloxane) Elastomers from Aqueous Emulsions: III. Effects of Blended Silica Fillers and γ-Radiation-Induced Crosslinking

Abstract

Abstract The morphologies of the reinforced elastomers prepared from emulsions were found to depend greatly on how the silica phases were introduced. More specifically, blending colloidal silica into the elastomer prior to film formation was found to yield a highly unusual elastomer in which the continuous phase was the silica and the dispersed phase the elastomer. This is the opposite of the usual case in which, for example, the silica is generated in-situ within the continuous elastomeric phase. These morphological differences were used to explain the different shapes of the stress—strain isotherms of these materials in simple elongation. Results on the crosslinking effects of gamma radiation demonstrated that this treatment represents another useful technique for optimizing the properties of these emulsion-derived materials.