ABSTRACT
Carbon black belongs to an important class of industrial carbons employed as reinforcing agents in rubber and as black pigments in inks, coatings, and plastics. The preparation of carbon black–rubber “masterbatches” is common practice in the industry. Carbon black essentially remains as a discrete phase when dispersed in mediums such as rubber. In the rubber industry, reinforcement by fillers, especially carbon black, is a major part of the technology. Commercial carbon blacks used in rubber compounding applications are usually classified in terms of their morphology. Lower adsorption activity in graphitized blacks promotes slippage of rubber molecules on the particle surface when filling interstices during black incorporation. Bound rubber in studies such as this can be measured by standard solvent extraction techniques. The degree of dispersion of carbon black in rubber is one of the key factors affecting the properties of the final vulcanizate.
