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Nanocavitation in silica filled styrene‐butadiene rubber regulated by varying silica‐rubber interfacial bonding
Author(s) -
Cao Xijuan,
Zhou Xing,
Weng Gengsheng
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
polymers for advanced technologies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.61
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1099-1581
pISSN - 1042-7147
DOI - 10.1002/pat.4284
Subject(s) - materials science , natural rubber , composite material , grafting , silane , styrene butadiene , particle (ecology) , cavitation , styrene , polymer , copolymer , oceanography , physics , mechanics , geology
The influence of filler‐matrix interfacial bonding on the nanocavitation of rubber materials has not been explored clearly. We herein report the nanocavitation modes and geometrical features impacted by varying the silica‐styrene‐butadiene rubber interfacial bonding. The interfacial bonding is tuned by grafting different amount of multi‐functional silane coupling agents on to the silica nanoparticles. By using synchrotron radiation small angle X‐ray scattering measurements, 2 major classes of cavitation were detected. When the interfacial strength was weak, fibrillar nanocavitation, with lengths ranging from 120 to 217 nm and diameter of the same order of the particle size, was generated by interfacial decohesion at the particle pores along the stretching direction. After grafting modification, the fibril‐like nanocavitation almost disappears and nanocavitation content decreases first at lower grafting density; then nanocavitation content increases at higher grafting density, where nanocavitation in confined rubber regions dominates. It is finally proposed that nanoparticle interfacial strengthening can change the cavitation mode from interfacial decohesion to confined rubber matrix nanocavitation, which exhibits more favorable prevention of the macroscopic failure by cracking.