Influence of different silanes on the reinforcement of silica-filled rubber compounds

The silane modification of precipitated silica for rubber applications is state-of-the-art. Usually, bifunctional silanes are used to Provide a silica-to-rubber coupling. In this paper, the general effect of the silane modification on the Payne-effect of silica-filled compounds (S-SBR/BR) is investigated by applying the Rubber Process Analyzer (RPA). For this purpose, the amount as well as the type of silane have been varied. The alkyl chain length of monofunctional silanes determines their hydrophobation efficiency and therefore influences the degree of the silica network, whereas bifunctional silanes also contribute to the crosslinking and build up an in-rubber structure. The degree of the,filler network is not only determined by the kind of silica modification, but also by the reinforcement behavior of the silica, mainly characterized by the CTAB surface area. The findings of this study give a better insight into the reinforcement of silica-filled rubber compounds and their dynamic properties.