Model Vulcanization of EPDM Compounds—Part II: Influence of Temperature and Time on the Vulcanization Products from Ethylidene Norbornane
Abstract Influence of vulcanization temperature and time on the sulfur crosslinks in vulcanized EPDM (third monomer ENB) was studied using the low-moleular model compound ENBH (C9H14). For each vulcanization condition (60 min at 180°, 160°, 140°, and 120° and 60, 30, 15, and 5 min at 140°), the nature of the crosslinks is represented by the composition of the C9H13−Sn−C9H13 vulcanization mixture as indicated by its HPLC chromatogram. In this way it is shown that increase in temperature favors formation of disulfidic crosslinks at the expense of the higher-sulfide crosslinks. Under the mildest vulcanization conditions (60 min at 120° or 5 min at 140°), disulfidic crosslinks are nearly absent and penta-sulfidic crosslinks are the most important.