Studies on reinforcing effect of industrial nano silica in chloroprene vulcanizates containing carboxy-terminated liquid natural rubber

Abstract

Maleic anhydride was chemically attached to depolymerized natural rubber, and the product was named as carboxy-terminated liquid natural rubber (CTNR). The CTNR can act as a potential plasticizer in chloroprene (CR) vulcanizates. This paper describes the use of commercial nano silica (NS) as a promising cost-effective filler, which can enhance the tensile properties and ageing resistance of the CR vulcanizates incorporated with CTNR (CR-CTNR). The enhancement in properties may be attributed to the increased bound-rubber content owing to the large surface area of the nano-sized filler. The characteristics of the NS-filled CR vulcanizates containing CTNR (NS CR-CTNR) were compared with those containing amorphous silica. The NS CR-CTNR vulcanizates showed superior ageing and oil resistance due to the finer rubber filler interaction modified by ionic cross linking.