At least a partial substitution of carbon black/precipitated silica being used in the rubber industry with low cost
reinforcing fillers based on china clay (kaolin) — a non-replenishable natural resource could lead to technical and
economic viability. Low cost industrial byproducts/renewable natural resources such as Cashew Nut Shell Liquid
(CNSL) or Rubber Seed Oil (RSO) or their derivatives may be used as organo-modifiers for kaolin to impart excellent
compatibility with non-polar rubbers along with desired physico-mechanical properties for various applications.
Results of the present study as obtained from XRD, TEM, SEM, TGA, CLD (chemical crosslink density) and
tensile properties show that low dosages of kaolin modified with a solution of Phosphorylated Cashew Nut
Shell Liquid prepolymer (PCNSL) in toluene could act as potential nano-reinforcing fillers for natural rubber
(NR), as evidenced by improvements in filler dispersion, thermal stability and tensile properties of the
vulcanizates.