SILANIZED SILICAS - A NEW PRODUCT RANGE F OR MODERN COMPOUND DEVELOPMENT

Today, bifunctional organosilanes are used in many rubber compounds. T hey react with the filler on the one hand, and with the polymer on the other The formation of filler-rubber linkages via organosilanes has a major influence on the properties of rubber compounds. In conventiona l technology the reaction between filler and silane takes place in the rubber-filler batch during compounding. This in situ modification req uires a number of precautions regarding the mixing sequence and mixing temperature, as well as the careful adjustment of mixing conditions f or every silane-containing compound. In silanized silicas, the silane has already undergone a chemical reaction with the silica which render s the above precautions superfluous. Silanized silicas can be used lik e conventional fillers. This paper compares eight different types of s ilanized silicas, based on silicas with different N2 surface areas and silanes with different chemical constitutions, describes their in-rub ber properties and points out their differences.