The role of the rubber-filler interphase in linear viscoelasticity of SBRs filled with carbon-black nano-size particles

Several carbon-black filled styrene butadiene rubbers were submitted to dynamic mechanical analysis tests in order to investigate the effect of nano-size filler reinforcement on rubber linear viscoelasticity. Experimental data are in favor of the existence of a rubber interphase at the filler-rubber interface with enhanced properties compared to the bulk rubber. A micromechanics modeling of the problem provides estimate of the effective volume fraction of filler and of the behavior and thickness of the interphase.