| Summary: | The physical and mechanical properties of natural rubber (NR) filled with Charcoal Activated Carbon (CAC) and Carbon Black (CB) were studied. NR is a high-quality, bio-based material that has a more environmentally friendly production system than synthetic rubbers. The incorporation of reinforcing fillers into the natural rubber can significantly improve the mechanical properties, and up to now, CB has been one of the widely used filler. CAC had its own set of benefits for polymer engineering applications, particularly as a potential new natural-based filler in rubber composites. SMR-10 was compounded with compounding ingredients using a two-roll mill by Conventional Vulcanization system. As a comparison study, commercial grade CB (N220) filled NR was compounded alongside with the CAC/NR at 10 phr and 15 phr (parts per hundred of rubber) loading. A cure test was performed to determine the scorch time (tS2) and the cure time (tC90). The density, tensile strength, M100 and M300 of CAC/NR were lower than CB/NR due to the poor interaction of CAC-rubber and the possibility of slightly polar. However, the mentioned properties showed a promising increment as the filler loading increased. The swelling index (%) of CAC/NR were higher which might be contributed by the porous structure of CAC that assisting in the penetration of the toluene. As a conclusion, CAC has the potential to be used as reinforcing filler for elastomer due to the porous structure which can provide greater surface area for interaction. However, if compared to CB, higher loading of CAC was required to obtain the properties of CB of lower loading. © 2022 Penerbit UTM Press. All rights reserved.
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