Study on the Structure-Mechanical Properties Relationship and Antistatic Characteristics of SSBR Composites Filled with SiO2/CB

The composites of solution polymerized styrene-butadiene rubber (SSBR) filled with SiO2/carbon black (CB) were prepared by reaction blending. The mechanical and antistatic properties were studied. The morphology and dispersion of the two kinds of nano-fillers in the composites were observed. The results showed that CB presented 30 nm spherical particles and formed filler networks in the SSBR/CB composite. Payne effect of the SSBR/CB composite was large and the antistatic property was excellent; SiO2 powder presented 20-40 nm irregular particles and also formed filler networks in the SSBR/SiO2 composite. The internal friction of the SSBR/SiO2 composite was low, however, the static accumulation was obviously large; SSBR/SiO2/CB composites exhibited good filler dispersion, high mechanical properties and low internal friction. The rolling resistance, wet-skid resistance and wear resistance are well balanced. Among these, the composite filled with SiO2/CB in 20/50 achieved the best overall performances. The surface and volume resistivity of the composites was increased with increasing amount of SiO2. For the researched formulation, the ratio of SiO2/CB in 35/35 was the percolation threshold for the antistatic property of the composites. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 118: 338-345, 2010