Characterization of kaolinite/styrene butadiene rubber composite: Mechanical properties and thermal stability

• Published in: Applied clay science 2016-05, Vol.124-125, p.167-174
• Main Authors: Zhang, Yinmin, Liu, Qinfu, Zhang, Shilong, Zhang, Yude, Zhang, Yongfeng, Liang, Peng
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Butadiene; Filler content; Fillers; Kaolinite; Mechanical properties; Mechanical property; Particle size; Particulate composites; Rubber; Styrenes; Thermal stability
• ISSN: 0169-1317; 1872-9053
• DOI: 10.1016/j.clay.2016.02.002

The processing, mechanical properties and thermal stability of kaolinite/styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) composite were investigated, and the influences of kaolinite particles size and filled contents on these properties were analyzed. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns, Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed that the rubber chains may be confined within the interparticles space and the kaolinite particles presented a physical dispersion in SBR matrix. The scorch time (ts2) and cure time (tc90) of the kaolinite/SBR composites decreased simultaneously relative to those of the pure SBR. The minimum torque of the kaolinite/SBR composite increased relative to that of pure SBR, and it decreased with decreasing filler particle size and increased with increasing filler content. The modified kaolinite gave a progressive reinforcement on mechanical properties of the kaolinite/SBR composite, even at high filler content (80phr).The tensile strength and tear strength of the kaolinite/SBR composite at 80phr filler loading were 19.62MPa and 40.63kN/m respectively. The prepared composite exhibited significantly improvement in thermal stability compared with that of pure SBR. The characteristic decomposition temperatures of kaolinite/SBR composite gradually increased with decreasing particle size and increasing content. The improvement of mechanical properties and thermal stability of kaolinite/SBR composite is attributed to the fine dispersion of kaolinite particles in the rubber matrix and the strong interactions between kaolinite particles and rubber chains. •Rubber chains were confined within the interparticles space of kaolinite.•Kaolinite could reduce scorch time and cure time of kaolinite/SBR composites.•Kaolinite significantly improved mechanical property of kaolinite/SBR composites.•Kaolinite/SBR composites exhibited significant improvement in thermal stability.