Effect of solvent and carbon black species on the rubber–carbon black interactions studied by pulsed NMR

The spin–spin relaxation time T₂ and the fraction of short T₂ component for composites of natural rubber with carbon black prepared under various conditions have been measured by pulsed NMR. Effect of swelling with a solvent (CCl₄), carbon black species (SAF, HAF, SRF) with different surface areas, and different initial carbon black loadings (35, 50, 70 phr) have been determined. Molecular motion in the rubber phase not in the immediate vicinity of the carbon black surface increases rapidly with increasing solvent concentration, yet it is still slightly restricted compared to rubber with solvent alone. On the other hand, molecular motion in the immobilized layer around carbon black and the fraction rubber in that layer are not affected by the solvent. This indicates strong restriction of molecular motion of polymers at the surface. For estimation of the thickness of the immobilized layer, the necessity of using an appropriate measure of surface area accessible to polymer molecules is pointed out. The degree of immobilization in the layer and the thickness of the layer do not vary appreciably with the nature of carbon black or the initial loading of carbon black.