The effects of rigid polystyrene particles on the glass transition characteristics and mechanical wave attenuation of styrene-butadiene rubber: Particle size and acoustic mismatch

Abstract

Glass transition characteristics and mechanical wave attenuation of the neat and filled styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) containing 10 wt % of rigid monosize polystyrene particles of various diameters from several hundred microns down to several tens of nanometers were investigated by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis, impedance tube, and ultrasonic spectroscopy. The results showed the matrix damping capacity and the breadth of glass transition increase by reducing the size of rigid particles due to the matrix-particles interfacial area increase as the major governing parameter. Matrix glass transition broadening toward higher temperatures was attributed to the increased dynamic heterogeneity induced by fillers, whereas the damping capacity increase was assigned to contribution of interfacial friction loss mechanism. The proposed postulation was confirmed based on the calculated temperature distribution of the relaxing matrix volume fraction. Sound wave attenuation by the matrix and PS particles filled systems led to a broad absorption peak for the former and appearance of a secondary absorption peak at lower frequencies for the latter. Intensity of this secondary peak was highest for the system containing PS nanoparticles. Finally, ultrasonic attenuation enhanced by the PS particle size to wavelength ratio increase according to α sca ∼ (d/λ) 0.38 scaling law and declined by replacing the dense particles with larger hollow PS particles. Comparison of the normalized attenuation of the PS particle filled SBR in various mechanical wave attenuation regimes implied low sensitivity to particle size in vibration, mild differentiation in the sound, and finally severe differentiation in the ultrasound regimes.