Mechanical and electrical properties of acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber filled with crosslinked polystyrene prepared by emulsion polymerization

In the present work, we have studied the effects of mixed emulsifier systems, sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS — as anionic surfactant) and poly(oxyethylene) nonylphenyl ether (NP-30 — as non-ionic surfactant), on the emulsion polymerization of styrene. The crosslinked, monodispersed polystyrene (PS) particles were synthesized with a variable divinylbenzene (DVB) concentration as cross-linking agent. The crosslinked polystyrene was incorporated into acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber (NBR). The mechani- cal and electrical properties were determined using carbon black as a conductive filler and silica as non conductive filler.