Effect of KH550 on the Preparation and Compatibility of Carbon Fibers Reinforced Silicone Rubber Composites

Silicone rubber has good heat resistance, but its mechanical properties are poor. To improve the mechanical properties of the silicone rubber, the carbon fiber / silicone rubber composites were prepared in this paper, in which the silicone rubber was used as the matrix, the high-performance carbon fiber (CF) treated with coupling agent is used as the reinforcement. The best composite formulation, the types and content of coupling agent are determined by testing mechanical properties of the composites. The morphology structures of the composites were observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM), the compatibility between carbon fiber and silicone rubber was studied by infrared spectrum analysis (IR), dynamic thermal mechanical analysis (DMA) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results show that the best composite formulation is silicone rubber of 100 phr, carbon fiber of 12 phr, coupling agent KH550 of 2.5 phr. The best first curing conditions are at 175 ^°C under 10 MPa for 30 min, the postcuring conditions are at 200 ^°C for 2h. The compatibility between carbon fiber treated with KH550 and silicon rubber is the best by SEM, IR, DMA and XPS analysis, and confirm that the coupling agent KH550 plays a compatilizer role in the preparation process of the carbon fiber/silicone rubber composites.