The synthesis of a new ionic liquid and its use as a multifunctional additive in different rubber composites

A novel functional ionic liquid (ILM) was synthesized using the ion exchange reaction of mercaptobenzothiazole (MBT) and 1-allyl-3-methylimidazolium. ILM was then added into carbon black/rubber, silica/rubber and microcrystalline cellulose (MCC)/rubber compounds, respectively, and its effects on the processing, physico-mechanical, and dynamic properties of the vulcanizates were investigated. For carbon black/rubber and silica/rubber compounds, ILM worked very well as a curing accelerator and surface modifier of carbon black and silica. For MCC/rubber compounds, the improvement was slight for the curing rate but obvious for the tensile properties. And it is noteworthy that the sizes of the MCC were decreased in situ from 20–90 μ m to less than 5 μ m during the processing of the rubber compounds, and the interfacial bonds between MCC and the rubber matrix were also improved. These results indicate that ILM is a multifunctional additive that can be used in different rubber composites.