The study demonstrates how the pep interactions between two
seemingly incompatible filler materials e lignin and carbon black e
can be used to create novel hybrid filler particles for rubber compounds.
The study shows that the surface characteristics and the
morphology of the hybrid particles can be controlled by the ratio of
the two materials in the hybrid filler. It is seen that both kraft lignin
and lignosulfonate molecules are capable of forming coating layers
on CB particle aggregates and that the coating layers maintain the
fractal nature of CB particles. Raman spectroscopy analysis and
solid state NMR confirmed that the interactions between lignin and
CB occur due to p stacking over length scales of several nanometers.
These results are further confirmed by zeta potential
measurements.