Evaluation of Surface Properties of Zinc Borate Filled HTV Silicone Rubber

This study presents an investigation of the surface properties of high-temperature vulcanizing (HTV) silicone rubber samples filled with different percentages (5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, and 30%) of Zinc Borate (ZB) filler. Base HTV samples were the reference for the comparison. Physical analyses, including density and hardness measurements, were conducted on each sample. Moreover, dynamic drop tests (DDTs), contact angle measurements, surface roughness analysis, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging were performed to investigate the hydrophobicity characteristics of the samples. The results of these analyses indicated that an increase in the ZB filler ratio to 10 wt% resulted in a notable reduction in surface roughness, which also led to a notable increase in the surface contact angle. The DDTs revealed that an increase in the ZB filler content by 30 wt% led to an improvement in hydrophobicity performance.