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Abstract. The effect of blend ratio on properties of chloroprene rubber/natural rubber (CR/NR) blends was investigated. In addition to the mechanical properties, attention was also given to the resistance to thermal aging, oil and ozone of the blends. Silica was selected as a reinforcing filler in this study due to its unique characteristic to interact with CR. The results reveal that, due to the better filler dispersion and the greater crosslink density, the silica-filled CR possesses lower compound viscosity and better mechanical properties, compared to the silica-filled NR. The aging properties, oil and ozone resistance of the silica-filled CR are also significantly better than those of the silica-filled NR. The mechanical properties and the resistance to degradation of the silica-filled CR/NR blends are mainly governed by the blend morphology. It is found that good mechanical properties in association with adequately high resistance to degradation from thermal aging and oil are obtained when CR remains the matrix in the blends. Even though the ozone cracks are found in all blends, a thorough look at the results reveals that considerable improvement in ozone resistance is achieved with increasing CR content.

Blends of 75/25 chloroprene rubber(CR)/ natural rubber (NR) filled with various loadings of precipitated silica were prepared and their processability and mechanical properties as well as their resistance to thermal aging and oil were determined. The blend morphology was also studied using the atomic force microscopy technique. The results reveal that the mixing energy and the Mooney viscosity of the compound are increased continuously with increasing silica loading. It is also found that both scorch and optimum curing times are shortened while the total crosslink density is increased with increasing silica loading. The positive effect on cure could be explained by the chemical reaction between the allylic chlorine atom of CR and the silanol group on silica surface. The tensile strength, modulus, and hardness of the blend vulcanizate are noticeably improved while the compression set at elevated temperature is impaired with increasing silica loading. The results also reveal that both thermal aging resistance and oil resistance of the blend vulcanizates, as represented by the relative properties, are enhanced with the addition of silica. The resistance enhancement is believed to arise from the combination of the dilution effect, the increased crosslink density and also the reduction of NR dispersed phase size.

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