Influence of Nanoscale Titanium Dioxide Modifications on the Nano-Organization of Elastomers

Abstract

The diffraction patterns of fluorine rubbers ICF-26 and ICF-32 and vulcanizates based on ICF-32 with nanoscale titanium dioxide modifications are found to contain reflections at large angles, which indicate formation of one to three types of nanoaggregates 5–95 nm in size (in dependence of their history). It is established that modified titanium dioxide with elevated concentration of –ОН and –Н groups on the surface of nanoparticles is the most active filler for composites based on fluorine rubbers. The degree of ordering of vulcanizates is generally higher than that of the corresponding mechanical blends. The $\rho _{4}^{'}$ phase transition at 135°C is accompanied by a decrease in the content of intrinsic large rubber nanoaggregates in the composite ICF-26 with 0.1 wt % of nanoscale titanium dioxide modification and formation of 82-nm nanoaggregates of the second type. It is found that a dense layer of 12-nm nanoaggregates with average interplanar distances of 2.20 Å (which reinforces greatly various composites) is formed around the filler particles of vulcanizates based on rubber ICF-32.