Solvent‐free synthesized zeolites as compatibility agents in FKM rubber

Abstract

Dry hybrid synthesized zeolite was added to a fluoroelastomer (FKM). Carbon black filler was also evaluated. The resulting systems were evaluated in terms of rheological, physicochemical and morphological characteristics. Replacing carbon black with zeolites decreased the torque maximum (125–144 nM) for all samples. The type of filler has a significant influence on the thermal stability of FKM compounds. The use of x‐ray microtomography (IMX for) on the investigated samples (fluorinated polymers) was shown to be a potential and powerful tool for fractioning the components of the resulting composite material. According to microtomography images, increasing the filler content increases the number of pores, probably due to the greater difficulty in dispersing larger volumes of fillers, which are shown as interconnected conglomerates. The SodC8.5 filler showed a considerable increase in stress at rupture (11 MPa) with only 1 phr, maintaining stability up to 10 phr, while elongation at break increased. The use of Sod and SodC8.5 loads showed an improvement of 15% and 30% in relation to the base compound. Finally, in a thermal stability test at the temperature of liquid N2, the SodC8.5 sample showed the best dimensional stability (approx. 7%), verifying the good compatibility between the filler and the fluorinated polymeric matrix.