Selective dispersion of carbon fillers into dynamically vulcanized rubber/plastic blends: a thermodynamic approach to evaluate polymer reinforcement and conductivity enhancement

Abstract

In this present work, the fundamental aspect of filler migration in a newly introduced thermoplastic vulcanizate based on ethylene octene copolymer and natural rubber, fabricated via semi-efficient sulphur vulcanization, has been investigated through thermodynamic calculations. Meticulous analysis has been conducted through different spectroscopic and microscopic techniques in order to identify the more favorable phase for filler dispersion. However, the consequent effect of phase selective filler dispersion has actually been realized from differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction, which, in turn, has successfully explained the observed mechanical and dynamic-mechanical properties. The upshifted G band absorbance frequencies obtained from Raman spectroscopy, on the other hand, have effectively explained the observed electrical properties. This work elucidates the fundamental understanding of polymer reinforcement as well as conductivity enhancement by incorporating carbon fillers into a newly introduced TPV system, which may be considered as a highly potential material for future automotive applications.