ABSTRACT
By referring to different experimental techniques it has been demonstrated that due to strong polymerfiller couplings in filler reinforced elastomers, the polymer dynamics near the filler surface is slowed down. This implies a glassy-like polymer shell with temperature and frequency dependent thickness surrounding the filler particles (Berriot et al. 2003, Montes et al. 2003, Papon et al. 2012). For higher filler concentrations, these glassy shells overlap and form glassy-like polymer bridges, which transmits the stress between adjacent filler particles (Klüppel 2003, Montes et al. 2010). The structure and dynamics of these filler-filler bonds play a key role in understanding the mechanical properties of filled rubbers. In particular, several aspects of linear viscoelasticity of filled elastomers can be traced back to the specific rate and temperature dependent properties of the filler-filler bonds (Klüppel 2009, Fritzsche & Klüppel 2011). The pronounced non-linear response at larger strain (filler induced stress softening and hysteresis) can be related to the rupture of filler-filler bonds, which deform under strain and break if a critical strain is exceeded (Lorenz et al. 2011, Lorenz et al. 2012, Freund et al. 2011, Lorenz & Klüppel 2012).
