Zinc sulfide nanoparticles immobilized on carbon black as a reinforcing hybrid filler for modified butadiene rubber composites

In this study, ZnS nanoparticles (NPs) were immobilized on a carbon black/phosphorylated butadiene rubber (CB-PhBR) matrix using the successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method to develop multifunctional polymer nanocomposites. The novelty of this work lies in the cycle-controlled deposition of ZnS NPs on a conductive, phosphate-functionalized elastomer matrix and the evaluation of the resulting structural, optical, electrical, and dielectric responses. XRD confirmed cubic ZnS formation, while SEM, FTIR, and BET supported its immobilization and the resulting morphological/porous-structure changes. The immobilization of ZnS NPs reduced the electrical conductivity and dielectric permittivity, indicating disruption of the CB percolation network and suppression of interfacial polarization. UV-vis analysis showed an increase in the optical band gap from 2.29 eV for CB-PhBR to 3.82 eV for ZnS NPs/CB-PhBR. These results demonstrate that SILAR-assisted immobilization of ZnS NPs effectively modifies the functional properties of CB-PhBR-based nanocomposites, indicating their potential for dielectric, optoelectronic, and functional polymer applications.