Reinforcing styrene‐butadiene rubber by silica/carbon black by‐product composite through an in‐situ polymerization process

Abstract Acetylene (C₂H₂) production generates a large amount of carbon black by‐product (CBP). It increases production costs and environmental concerns. However, the poor surface structure of this carbon black by‐product limits its application. This paper prepared SiO₂/CBP composite materials through in‐situ polymerization to be used for styrene‐butadiene rubber (SBR) reinforcement. The results of FTIR, water contact Angle, and thermogravimetric analysis showed that the CBP was successfully coated by silica and demonstrated a regular shape, higher oil absorption value, larger specific surface area, and enhanced hydrophilicity. Furthermore, compared with CBP‐filled SBR, the SiO₂/CBP composite‐filled SBR revealed an 18% improvement in Shore A hardness, 103% enhancement in the tensile strength, 23% increase of the elongation at break, and the tensile modulus of 300‐percentile and 500‐percentile increased by 9% and 8%, respectively. The development of this composite material could expand the scope of CBP resource utilization and leads to the design of a new development of greener and more sustainable application of CBP.