Structural dynamics and interfacial properties of filler-reinforced elastomers

The combined effect of filler networking and reduced chain mobility close to the filler interface is analyzed based on investigations of the relaxation dynamics of a solution of styrene butadiene rubber filled with different loadings and types of nanostructured carbon blacks. Dynamic-mechanical and dielectric spectra are studied in a wide frequency and temperature range. By referring to a tunneling process of charge carriers over nanoscopic gaps between adjacent carbon black particles the gap distance is evaluated from the dielectric spectra. This distance corresponds to the length of glassy-like polymer bridges forming flexible bonds between adjacent filler particles of the filler network. It is found that the gap distance decreases with increasing filler loading and specific surface area which correlates with an increase of the apparent activation energy of the filler network evaluated from dynamic-mechanical data. Due to the thermal activation of glassy-like polymer bridges the time-temperature superposition principle is not fulfilled for filled elastomers and the introduction of vertical shift factors is necessary to obtain viscoelastic master curves. The change in the low frequency viscoelastic properties by the incorporation of fillers is shown to be related to the superimposed dynamics of the filler network governed by the viscoelastic response of the glassy-like polymer bridges. This effect is distinguished from the reduced chain mobility close to the filler surface which results in a broadening of the glass transition on the high temperature or low frequency side. The microstructure-based interpretation of viscoelastic data is supported by an analysis of the relaxation time spectra.