L. Karasek et B. Meissner, EXPERIMENTAL TESTING OF THE POLYMER-FILLER GEL FORMATION THEORY .1., Journal of applied polymer science, 52(13), 1994, pp. 1925-1931
Experimental data were obtained on the concentration dependence of the
fraction of total filler-bound polymer, fraction of polymer in a cohe
rent polymer-filler gel, and fraction of solvent-dispersed filler part
icles in compounds of fume silica (Aerosil OX50) with natural rubber (
NR) and styrene butadiene rubber (SBR). Predictions of the polymer-fil
ler gel formation theory were tested and a good formal description of
the data was obtained. The two adjustable parameters of the theory ass
ume reasonable values. While A0 is a characteristic of the filler inte
raction with polymer and has similar values in NR and SBR, the functio
nality f of the theoretically assumed filler particle acting as a poly
functional crosslinker of polymer chains seems to depend on the polyme
r as well. Dimensions of the theoretical filler particle calculated fr
om a comparison of experiment with theory are of the same order of mag
nitude but smaller than those of primary filler particles. (C) 1994 Jo
hn Wiley & Sons, Inc.