INFLUENCE OF SURFACE-MODIFICATION FOR CALCIUM CARBONATE ON THE INTERACTION BETWEEN THE FILLERS AND POLYDIMETHYLSILOXANE

The surface of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) particles was modified with stearic acid (SA) and the chemicalstructures of the product were characterized by FT-IR analysis. The interaction between polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) andCaCO3 fillers with different surface character was investigated by means of dynamic rheologicai and bound rubber tests foruncured compounds and mechanical properties measurements for the corresponding vulcanites. The results of dynamic testsindicate that with the increase of SA mass fraction, the span of the linear viscoelastic region broadens and the height of themodulus plateau decreases. The reasons for these are ascribed to that the SA decreases the surface energy of filler particlesand weakens their tendency to agglomerate. Moreover, the results of mechanical measurements reveal that the vulcanizedcompound filled with modified filler has a relative high tensile strength induced by a reinforced interaction between fillerand polymer matrix, which is confirmed by the bound rubber tests and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations.