The high-structure carbon blacks e. g., high abrasion furnace, intermediate super abrasion furnace and etc., were treated with benzoyl peroxide in acetone at 45°C under a given condition. A plot of the amounts of benzoic acid formed during the treatment versus the BET surface areas of these carbon blacks gave a straight line, but with considerable scatter. The result may be responsible or the differences of the structure distribution.
On the other hand, the reactions of styrene with the surface of the high-structure blacks were carried out. The graft polymers thus obtained were dispersed into toluene, and separated into two portions centrifugally.
From the study with an electron microscope, it was found that the sedimental portion consists of high structure blacks and the upper portion of isolated particles or low structure blacks.
On the basis of such knowledge, it may be difficult to confirm the disruption of the structure during the mixing of rubber and carbon blacks mechanically.
So the styrene graft polymer onto high-structure black (9.8 cc/g measured by oil absorption technique) having no lower structure made by oil furnace process was treated with the mixing roll using toluene as a dispersion medium. In that case, the distruption of the carbon structure was observed clearly by the electron microscope.
This phenomenon shows that a fresh surface of carbon black is formed.
Therefore, when a high-structure black is milled into rubber, it is also expected that the formation of bound rubber may involve the combination of the scission sites of rubber with a fresh surface of carbon black in addition to the original surface.
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