Comparing effects of silanized silica nanofiller on the crosslinking and mechanical properties of natural rubber and synthetic polyisoprene

Abstract The effect of the same amount of precipitated silica nanofiller on the curing and mechanical properties of natural rubber and synthetic polyisoprene was investigated. The silica surfaces were pretreated with bis(3‐triethoxysilylpropyl) tetrasulfide (TESPT) to chemically bond silica to rubber. The rubbers were primarily cured by using sulfur in TESPT, and the cure was optimized by the addition of accelerator and activator, which helped to form sulfur chemical bonds between the rubber and filler. Different amounts of accelerator and activator were needed to fully crosslink the filled rubbers. The hardness, tensile strength, elongation at break, stored energy density at break, tearing energy, and modulus of the vulcanizates improved substantially by the incorporation of the filler in the rubber. This was due to high level of rubber‐filler adhesion and formation of chemical bonds between the rubber and TESPT. Interestingly, natural rubber benefited more from the filler than did synthetic polyisoprene. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008