Preparation and Properties of Rare Earth Modified Carbon Black/Natural Rubber Composites

The oxides Eu, Ho, Er and Dy were used to prepare the hydroxides of rare earth modified carbon black. Then natural rubber latex （NRL） was added into the reactor. The system reacted at 85 ℃ with stirring for 1 h to prepare powdered HAF-Ln（OH）3/NR composites. The effects of the kind and content of Ln on the particle size distribution of PNR/HAF-Ln（OH）3 and mechanical properties of its vulcanizate were studied respectively. It is found that rare earth can help to get the powder of the composite, the product particle with a diameter less than 0.9mm will be get when the composites containing the compound of Ho, Er and Dy with dosage of 1.0, 1.0, 0.5 percent, respectively. The adding of Ln can improve the tensile strength and tear strength of the vulcanizate effectively, what's more, Er and Dy can decrease the permanent set of vulcanizate significantly. The SEM studies shows that PNR/HAF-Dy（OH）3 vulcanizate shows superior mechanical properties that depend primarily on the absence of free carbon black, the fine dispersion of carbon black in the rubber matrix and better polymer-filler interaction.