X-ray Shielding Ability and Electrophysical Characteristics of Rubber Vulcanizates: Effect of State-of-Mix

Rubber composite materials were prepared using styrene-butadiene-rubber as matrices and incorporating with carbon black and PbO2 for X-ray shielding. The pure gum SBR was firstly masticated with different mastication times before mixing. It was found that the mastication time strongly affected the microstructure of the prepared composites and in turn, the degree of cross-link density. The mastication time greatly improves the dispersion level of the used fillers. The effect of mastication time on the conductivity, currentvoltage characteristics and TSDC of composites was investigated. The X-ray shielding ability of all composites apparently increases with the increase in mastication time. X-ray shielding ability of the prepared composites was also studied at different applied voltage and current of X-ray machine.