Effect of carbon black/silica hybrid filled Nitrile Butadiene Rubber (NBR) on cure characteristics and mechanical properties

This research investigates the effect of hybrid Carbon Black (CB) and Silica filled Nitrile Butadiene Rubber (NBR) composites on cure and mechanical properties. Fo urier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to characterize the functional group and identify interactions between the NBR matrix and fillers. F TIR analysis revealed the presence of key functional groups and interactions within the NBR matrix, id entifying five primary peaks in carbon black spectra (O H, C=O, C=C, C O) and three primary peaks in silica spectra (O H, Si O Si, Si OH). The findings revealed significant improvements in cure time and mechanical performance using hybrid fillers. The CB40/Si0 composite had the highest Ts 2 (11.76 minutes) and Tc 90 (25.51 minutes), while CB40/Si0 with 40 phr of carbon black content and no silica had much lower Ts 2 (5.21 minutes) and Tc 90 (15.23 minutes). Optimization of cure parameters resulted in shorter cure durations and higher vulcanization efficiency. The hybrid fillers also produced significant increases in tensile strength, elongation at break, and swelling percentage, demonstrating their synergistic benefits in NBR composites exceeding individual fi llers.