Some interesting phenomena in silica-filled HNBR with the addition of silane coupling agent

Hydrogenated nitrile rubber (HNBR)/silica nanocomposites were prepared by in-situ modification dispersion technology, and the silane coupling agent γ-methacryloxypropyl trimethoxy silane (KH570) was chosen to promote the interfacial strength between silica particles and HNBR matrix and further improve the dispersion of silica particles. Rubber Process Analyzer (RPA2000) was used to test the Payne effect of HNBR/silica compounds, from which some interesting phenomena were found: the Payne effect became stronger after KH570 was added to HNBR/silica compound at room temperature, which was a contrary result compared to SBR/silica system. However, after stored for a month at room temperature, the Payne effect weakened, which was contrary to the traditional phenomenon of storage hardening of filled rubber. All these results are related to filler-filler interaction and filler-rubber interaction. The modulus at small strain amplitude of HNBR/silica compound with KH570 gradually decreased with the increase of times of circulatory strain sweep but that of compound without KH570 had almost no change, which was explained by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) results that the reaction between silica and KH570 almost completed at the test condition: 80°C and about 1 h. The effects of silane amount, heat-treated temperature and time on the Payne effect of compounds and the mechanical properties of vulcanizates were also investigated.