Institute of Fundamental Technological Research

The present study discusses the effects of graphenic particles on the kinetics of sulfur vulcanization in styrene butadiene rubber composites. Using data obtained from a cure rheometer and fitted by an autocatalytic model, it was verified that graphenic particles follow our recently established catalytic-networking model for the effect of particles on the sulfur vulcanization of rubber, regardless of the type of particles. The magnitude of the catalytic and networking effects depends on surface chemistry and interfacial interactions of particles with rubber that can be tailored by the chemical reduction of graphene oxide. Accordingly, the reduction process decreased the catalytic effect due to the elimination of surface functional groups and increased the networking effect due to the enhancement of filler–rubber interactions and immobilization of rubber. The latter was verified by differential scanning calorimetry and bound rubber measurements.

graphene oxide, interfacial interactions, rubber composites, surface chemistry, vulcanization kinetics, wettability