Analyses of hierarchical structures in SBR rubber by using contrast-variation SANS: effects of a silane coupling agent

Adding silane coupling agents to rubber/silica particles systems improves their mechanical properties and the dispersion of the particles. The improvement is believed to be attributed to the enhanced adsorption of rubber molecules on the surface of silica particles by the silane coupling agent. However, the enhancement of the adsorption by silane coupling agent has not been clarified quantitatively yet. In this study, we have investigated the difference in (i) the adsorption of rubber on silica surfaces and (ii) the aggregation of silica particles in rubber/silica particle systems with and without silane coupling agents by using contrast variation neutron scattering (CV-SANS). The CV-SANS results quantitatively clarified the adsorption layer's thickness and the degree of aggregation for both systems. In the case of the system without silane coupling agents, the adsorption layers do not exist around the particles, and the particles tend to aggregate. On the other hand, the adsorption layers of about 5.3 nm are formed on the surface of the particles in the system with silane coupling agents, and the addition of silane coupling agents suppressed the aggregation. The tensile experiments explored that the higher breakpoint caused by the existence of the adsorption layers and the enhancement of the linear region induced by the lower aggregation rate.