40
2 Filler and Rubber Reinforcement
2.6.5 Promoter for Rubber Reinforcement by Filler
The title of Chap. 9 of Ref. [5] is ‘Promoters of Filler Reinforcement.’ Here, promoter
is an additive assumed to assist filler for more reinforcement effect, which is an
example of the traditional techniques in rubber industry. In academic studies, increase
of a component or a parameter is normally avoided because it may result in the
ambiguity of solution. Surely, filler itself is an additive to rubber, and the increase of
another additive makes the system more complicated. Due to importance of rubber
reinforcement in the industry, however, lots of trials of possible promoters have been
done up to the present. Most of the commercially available ones are supposed to
be reactive both to filler and rubber. In fact, the assumed chemical reactions are
explained in the chapter. However, since the used CB changed to oil furnace CB, the
effective range of such promoters has been limited, particularly for diene rubbers
(NR, IR, SBR, BR, and NBR). At present, butyl rubber users enjoy a few promoters.
In the diene rubber usage, silane or titanate coupling agents are now widely used,
which are the successor of the promoter or are they new promoters?
In either case, the importance of rubber reinforcement remains unchanged, and
rubber technics have an indispensable function in the modern transportation society.
Responding to meet the social needs is more urgent than to the internal needs specific to rubber. This is the rational case for any technics. In fact, K. Cornish et al.,
who are working on guayule and rubber dandelion [12, 14, 15, 170–173], studied
new promoters prepared from the plant wastes effective for the NRs extracted from
guayule and rubber dandelion [174, 175].
Reinforcement of rubber by use of nanofiller is so important in the rubber industry
that the active development of various means of reinforcement will continue. On this
occasion, more scientific methodology is to be adopted more than a huge number
of trials based on the trial- and-error method. In other words, figuring out a new
reinforcement technique is to be searched on the basis of reinforcement mechanism
(even if it may be at the hypothetic stage). This consideration on reinforcement is very
fundamental, and it should be in accordance with the designs of rational formulation
and of the end product. In this century, such a modern logical approach would result
in the development of new techniques of rubber reinforcement, together with the
consideration of sustainability at the age of transportation.
References
1. C.C. Davis, J.T. Blake (eds.), The Chemistry and Technology of Rubber (Reinhold Publishing,
New York, 1937) (This textbook is historically the first compilation of the reports relevant to
rubber science and rubber technics. During the World War II, illegal publication of this book
was tacitly permitted in Japan for efficient production of the military rubber goods, which
suggested that this book was recognized to be a world standard then)
2. P. Schidrowitz, T.R. Dawson (eds.), History of the Rubber Industry (W. Heffer & Sons,
Cambridge, 1952) (This book gives a detailed and good summary of technical aspects of
2 Filler and Rubber Reinforcement
2.6.5 Promoter for Rubber Reinforcement by Filler
The title of Chap. 9 of Ref. [5] is ‘Promoters of Filler Reinforcement.’ Here, promoter
is an additive assumed to assist filler for more reinforcement effect, which is an
example of the traditional techniques in rubber industry. In academic studies, increase
of a component or a parameter is normally avoided because it may result in the
ambiguity of solution. Surely, filler itself is an additive to rubber, and the increase of
another additive makes the system more complicated. Due to importance of rubber
reinforcement in the industry, however, lots of trials of possible promoters have been
done up to the present. Most of the commercially available ones are supposed to
be reactive both to filler and rubber. In fact, the assumed chemical reactions are
explained in the chapter. However, since the used CB changed to oil furnace CB, the
effective range of such promoters has been limited, particularly for diene rubbers
(NR, IR, SBR, BR, and NBR). At present, butyl rubber users enjoy a few promoters.
In the diene rubber usage, silane or titanate coupling agents are now widely used,
which are the successor of the promoter or are they new promoters?
In either case, the importance of rubber reinforcement remains unchanged, and
rubber technics have an indispensable function in the modern transportation society.
Responding to meet the social needs is more urgent than to the internal needs specific to rubber. This is the rational case for any technics. In fact, K. Cornish et al.,
who are working on guayule and rubber dandelion [12, 14, 15, 170–173], studied
new promoters prepared from the plant wastes effective for the NRs extracted from
guayule and rubber dandelion [174, 175].
Reinforcement of rubber by use of nanofiller is so important in the rubber industry
that the active development of various means of reinforcement will continue. On this
occasion, more scientific methodology is to be adopted more than a huge number
of trials based on the trial- and-error method. In other words, figuring out a new
reinforcement technique is to be searched on the basis of reinforcement mechanism
(even if it may be at the hypothetic stage). This consideration on reinforcement is very
fundamental, and it should be in accordance with the designs of rational formulation
and of the end product. In this century, such a modern logical approach would result
in the development of new techniques of rubber reinforcement, together with the
consideration of sustainability at the age of transportation.
References
1. C.C. Davis, J.T. Blake (eds.), The Chemistry and Technology of Rubber (Reinhold Publishing,
New York, 1937) (This textbook is historically the first compilation of the reports relevant to
rubber science and rubber technics. During the World War II, illegal publication of this book
was tacitly permitted in Japan for efficient production of the military rubber goods, which
suggested that this book was recognized to be a world standard then)
2. P. Schidrowitz, T.R. Dawson (eds.), History of the Rubber Industry (W. Heffer & Sons,
Cambridge, 1952) (This book gives a detailed and good summary of technical aspects of