An Investigation into the Impact of Surface Modifications and Nanosilica Loading on the Curing Behavior, Abrasion Resistance, Mechanical, Morphological, and Swelling Resistance Properties of Chlorinated Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer/Chlorinated Acrylonitrile Butadiene Rubber (Cl-EPDM/Cl-NBR) Blend Composites
摘要
This work focused on modifying nanosilica (NS) with different agents, including a 2:1 mixture of bis[3-(triethoxysilyl)propyl] tetrasulfide (TESPT) and polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monolaurate (TWEEN-20), as well as thioctic acid (TA). The resulting modified nanosilicas (mNS)—TESPT/TWEEN-20-treated nanosilica (TTNS) and thioctic acid-treated nanosilica (TANS)—were incorporated into composites based on a chlorinated ethylene propylene diene monomer (Cl-EPDM) and chlorinated acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (Cl-NBR) blend. Their influence on cure behavior, tensile strength, hardness, rebound resilience, compression set, swelling resistance, crosslink density, abrasion resistance, and fracture morphology (via FESEM) was systematically assessed. Among the fillers, TANS imparted significant improvements in tensile strength, 100% modulus, abrasion resistance, hardness, tear strength, and curing characteristics. Notably, TANS-reinforced composites displayed superior swelling resistance compared to those containing pristine nanosilica (pNS) or TTNS. These enhancements were attributed to improved filler–matrix interactions, resulting from an increased contact surface area. Compared to the base vulcanizate, incorporating 10 phr TANS reduced abrasion loss by 24%. Moreover, incorporating 6 phr of TANS enhanced the tensile strength and 100% modulus by about 63% and 60%, respectively, while causing a 28% reduction in elongation at break.