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Treatment of fillers with organofunctional silanes, technology and applications
Author(s) -
Guillet Antoine
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
macromolecular symposia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.257
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1521-3900
pISSN - 1022-1360
DOI - 10.1002/masy.200390106
Subject(s) - silanes , polymer , filler (materials) , materials science , rheology , composite material , interphase , surface modification , covalent bond , monomer , chemical engineering , chemistry , organic chemistry , silane , genetics , engineering , biology
Abstract The surface of mineral fillers and reinforcements can be modified by reaction with organofunctional silanes. When they are incorporated into polymers, four major consequences result from the chemical modification of the filler surface: 1. The filler‐polymer physical interactions are affected. This has a strong impact on rheology and can be used to improve processing. 2. The filler‐polymer chemical interactions are affected. The resulting interphase maybe designed to be chemically stable, to exhibit barrier properties or to have specific mechanical properties that may help transfering stresses from the matrix to the filler. Organofunctional silanes are preferred candidates for creating covalent bonds between the filler and the polymer. 3. The filler‐filler physical interactions are affected. This can be best observed in composite materials that are highly filled with fine particles. The effect is highlighted by a striking modification of dynamic properties at low strain. 4. The polymer structure close to the interphase can be modified through cure control agents or crosslinking agents. Silanes are moisture‐curable, environmentally stable molecules that can be used as accelerators, crosslinkers or co‐monomers.