Effect of synergy between pyrolysis carbon black and carbon nanofibers on composite properties

Carbon nanofibers (CNFs) as new materials have been the focus of materials research, while being widely used in the processing of rubber composites. To solve the problem that CNFs are easy to agglomerate, the existing methods are mainly chemical modification of CNFs (complicated processing process), blending with fillers such as carbon nanotube (expensive material and high production cost ratio). In this study, we integrated the economics and processing methods, and used pyrolysis carbon black (CBp) and CNFs for blending to prepare rubber composites to solve the filler agglomeration problem. It was found that CBp and CNFs produce a synergistic effect, and the two are isolated from each other and in contact with each other, forming a more complete filler network inside the composite. Through the synergistic effect, the filler dispersion in the rubber becomes better and the performance of the composite is greatly improved. Compared with traditional filler blending, it is more economical and can save production costs to a great extent; compared with chemical modification, the process is simple and saves production time. The recycling of rubber products can be promoted through the mass use of CBp, which has a certain environmental protection effect. This study provides new ideas for polymer composite processing, and more experiments are needed later to verify the feasibility of this method.