The effect of zeolite particle modified by PEG on rubber composite properties

Abstract

The purpose of this paper was to investigate the surface modification of zeolite with polyethylene glycol (PEG) and the modified zeolite as a reinforcing filler partly replacing carbon black (CB) into rubber to prepare the rubber composites. The surface characteristics of zeolite modified by PEG and the unmodified zeolite were characterized by infrared (IR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Moreover, the evaluations of the zeolite/rubber composite were carried out on characteristics such as tensile property, abrasion loss, and hysteresis heat generation with different amounts of zeolite and PEG. The results showed that the tensile strength and elongation at break of the composites were improved, and the abrasion and lag heat generation were reduced when 5-8 phr zeolite modified by 3 wt% PEG was filled into rubber. These results indicated that the modified zeolite has a good compatibility and dispersion in rubber.