Selective Wetting and Localization of Silica in Binary and Ternary Blends Based on Styrene Butadiene Rubber, Butadiene Rubber, and Natural Rubber

In the present work, the wetting concept was further developed for explanation of the kinetics of silica localization in binary and ternary rubber blends in the first mixing period. In the second mixing period when the wetting process is finished, a re‐localization process of silica within the blend phases takes place until an equilibrium state is reached. Material effects and mixing conditions on the silica localization were systematically characterized. A comparison between the kinetics of filler localization experimentally determined by the wetting concept, and the filler localization at an equilibrium theoretically predicted by our Z‐model, provides a deeper insight into the filler transfer process taking place during the mixing process. In the present work, the wetting concept is further developed for better understanding the wetting behavior of silica by rubber molecules. A comparison between the kinetics of filler localization and the filler localization at an equilibrium predicted by our Z‐model provides a deeper insight into the filler transfer process taking place during the mixing process.