Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 February 2011
The goal of primary interest in these investigations was the development of novel methods for filling elastomeric networks. The techniques developed employ the in-situ generation of reinforcing fillers such as silica or a glassy polymer such as polystyrene either after, during, or before network formation. The reaction involves decomposition of organometallic compounds, using a variety of catalysts and precipitation conditions, or freeradical polymerization of a suitable monomer. The effectiveness of the technique is gauged by stress-strain measurements carried out on these elastomeric composites to yield values of the maximum extensibility, ultimate strength, and energy of rupture. Also of interest are calorimetric studies of the networks, to determine their crystallizability. Information on the filler particles themselves is obtained from density determinations, electron microscopy, and scattering measurements.