The potential of kaolin as a reinforcing filler for rubber composites with new sulfur cure systems

What is it about?

This paper reports work on the use of kaolin (China clay) nanofiller in rubber reinforcement. Three commercial rubbers were selected for this study. They were natural rubber, polybutadiene rubber and ethylene-propylene-diene rubbers. The rubbers were cured with some novel sulphur cure systems before the kaolin was added. The Mooney viscosity, cure and mechanical properties of the rubber vulcanisates were then determined. The results indicated that a substantial reduction of the chemical curatives was possible and kaolin was an effective reinforcing filler for the rubbers.

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Why is it important?

The sulphur cure systems in the rubbers were very effective in spite of reducing the amount of the chemical curatives by huge amount. This was achieved by measuring the chemical curatives very accurately before the kaolin was mixed with the rubber. As a result, there was a major improvement in health, safety and the environment. Also, kaolin which is a mineral filler can replace carbon black and silica/silane filler systems in rubber reinforcement, offering very similar benefits or even better ones to the more traditional solid fillers.

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