Hierarchical structure in multi-component rubber/filler system

Yamaguchi, Daisuke; Koizumi, Satoshi; Yuasa, Takeshi*; Sone, Takuo*; Tominaga, Tetsuo*

Small-angle scattering analyses of rubber/filler compounds is investigated. An effective size reduction of dispersible units of the fillers and consequential improvement of the mechanical property was attained in the end functionalized S-SBR/filler system. To get more insight into the hierarchical structure of those systems, a complementary use of neutron and synchrotron X-ray was attempted. The obtained scattering profiles suggested that two dominant structures exist in the system: one is the higher-order aggregations of the fillers and the other is the density fluctuations due to the vulcanization. By modification of the SBR, the scattering signals originated from the vulcanization of SBR hardly changed, whereas those originated from the aggregation of the fillers changed. This tendency strongly supports the above scenario for the improvement of mechanical property of rubber/filler compounds.