Mechanistic Investigations of Surface Modification of Carbon Black and Silica by Plasma Polymerisation

Carbon black is widely used as an active filler in the rubber industry to improve the physical properties of rubber. The surface energy of carbon black is high compared to that of various elastomers like styrene–butadiene rubber (SBR), butadiene rubber (BR) and ethylene–propylene–diene rubber (EPDM). The work aims at reducing the surface energy of carbon black by modifying its surface for application especially in rubber blends. The present paper looks into the possibility of using plasma polymerisation of acetylene as a surface modification technique for carbon black in comparison with silica. Thermogravimetric analysis, wetting behaviour with various liquids of known surface tension and time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) were used to characterise the carbon black before and after surface modification. The study shows that surface modification of carbon black by plasma polymerisation is difficult in comparison with silica, unless treated for long duration. The mechanistic aspects of the surface modification and the importance of active sites on the carbon black surface for effective modification are discussed in the paper.