Enhancing the physico-mechanical properties of ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber via ץ-radiation in the presence of bi-functional and tri-functional monomers

This study, uses two polyfunctional monomers (PFMs) namely ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as a bifunctional monomer and trimethylolpropane triacrylate (TMPTA) as a trifunctional monomer were used as co-agents in irradiation crosslinking of Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer Rubber (EPDM). The effect of concentration of each PFM and irradiation dose on the crosslinking density, gel content, swelling behavior in motor and brake oils, in addition to the mechanical and thermal stability properties of EPDM was investigated in detailed. The results showed a remarkable increase in the gel content, crosslinking density and mechanical properties as the concentration of PFMs increased from 1 to 5 phr (parts per hundred parts of rubber). The various blends of EPDM with the trifunctional monomer express the highest gel content and crosslinking density than those with the bifunctional monomer. The addition of 5 phr of TMPTA to EPDM causes a dramatic improvement in tensile strength (TS) of the prepared blend reached to 188% compared to neat EPDM at 50 kGy. At the same time, the maximum TS of the blend containing 5 phr of EGDMA achieved only 41% compared to neat EPDM at an irradiation dose of 100 kGy. The swelling of irradiated samples in brake oil revealed a stronger oil resistance than motor oil. For all irradiated samples, the oil uptake decreased with the irradiation dose up to 100 kGy. The EPDM samples containing 5 phr of TMPTA recorded the highest oil resistance at 100 kGy. The results also showed that the addition of PFMs and irradiation treatment of the various prepared blends improved the thermal stability of EPDM. Finally, neat EPDM and the blends containing 1 and 3 phr of EGDMA can be used as radiation dosimeters in the very high dose range (50–200 kGy).

Stability Efficiencies of POSS and Microalgae Extracts on the Durability of Ethylene-Propylene-Diene Monomer Based Hybrids

The EPDM (ethylene-propylene-diene monomer) hybrids with improved thermal and radiation strengths containing 1 and 5 phr of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (vinyl-POSS, Ov-POSS) and/or 2 phr of microalgae (Chlorella vulgaris (CV) and Spirulinaplatensis (SP)) powders were investigated in respect to their thermal stability after γ-irradiation. The material durability under accelerated degradation was qualified by chemiluminescence and gelation, which prove the contribution of inorganic filler and microalgae extracts on the increase of hybrid thermal stability, as well as the interaction between added components (POSS and CV or SP). The activation energies and the durabilities under accelerated degradation were calculated, indicating their suitable usage as appropriate materials in various applications. The reported results indicate the improvement effect of both microalgal powders on the oxidation strength, but the contribution of Spirulinaplatensis grabs attention on its efficient effects upon the prevention of degradation under accelerated aging conditions. The thermal performances of the tested EPDM based hybrids are remarkably ameliorated, if the certain formulation includes Ov-POSS (5 phr) and Spirulinaplatensis (2 phr), certifying its suitability for the pertinent applications.

Influence of the curing system on the physical-mechanical, dynamic properties, and aging resistance of ethylene–propylene–diene monomer formulations for applications at high temperatures

The effects of three curing systems on rheometric, morphological, physical-mechanical, thermal, and dynamic properties of ethylene–propylene–diene monomer (EPDM) composites was investigated. The influence of thermo-oxidative aging on crosslink density and physical-mechanical properties was studied. Based on a standard composition for application at high temperatures, EPDM formulations with semi-efficient vulcanization systems (ES), efficient vulcanization systems (ED), and peroxide curing systems (EP) were prepared. Experimental results indicated that EPDM compounds cured with efficient vulcanization systems exhibit the highest scorch time with an intermediate maximum torque value at 150°C. The filler dispersion in the elastomeric matrix was greater than 94%; however, the ED formulation showed a more pronounced decrease, with the increase in deformation indicating a greater filler–filler interaction. In comparison with those cured with peroxide and semi-efficient systems, EPDM formulations cured with an efficient system presented better thermal resistance and the crosslink density was sufficient to maintain the mechanical integrity, leading to an intermediate hardness value, tensile strength, modulus, and greater elongation at breaking. In summary, the results indicated that the efficient curing system was the most appropriate to be used in the envelope’s manufacture, due to the better performance of the mechanical properties associated with the better resistance to thermal aging.

Effects of Dynamic Crosslinking on Crystallization, Structure and Mechanical Property of Ethylene-Octene Elastomer/EPDM Blends

The dynamic crosslinking method has been widely used to prepare rubber/plastic blends with thermoplastic properties, and the rubber phase is crosslinked in these blends. Both polyolefin elastomer (POE) and ethylene-propylene-diene monomer rubber (EPDM) can be crosslinked, which is different from usual dynamic crosslinking components. In this paper, dynamic crosslinked POE/EPDM blends were prepared. For POE/EPDM blends without dynamic crosslinking, EPDM can play a nucleation role, leading to POE crystallizing at a higher temperature. After dynamic crosslinking, the crosslinking points hinder the mobility of POE chains, resulting in smaller crystals, but having too many crosslinking points suppresses POE crystallization. Synchrotron radiation studies show that phase separation occurs and phase regions form in non-crosslinked blends. After crosslinking, crosslinking points connecting EPDM and part of POE chains, enabling more POE to enter the EPDM phase and thus weakening phase separation, indicates that dynamic crosslinking improves the compatibility of POE/EPDM, also evidenced by a lower β conversion temperature and higher α conversion temperature than neat POE from dynamic mechanical analysis. Moreover, crosslinking networks hinder the crystal fragmentation during stretching and provide higher strength, resulting in 8.3% higher tensile strength of a 10 wt% EPDM blend than neat POE and almost the same elongation at break. Though excessive crosslinking points offer higher strength, they weaken the elongation at break.

The Study of Recycled Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (EPDM-r)/Polypropylene (PP) Polymeric Blends

In this study, recycled ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM-r) were blended with polypropylene (PP) by compounding via heated two roll mills with the various ratio of EPDM-r. Certain blends were included with PP-g-MA as a compatibilizer. In tensile tests, the increasing of EPDM-r content in blends resulted in the reduction of tensile strength and Young’s Modulus but increased elongation at break. Furthermore, the presence of compatibilizer in blends enhanced the tensile properties. It was found all the samples with compatibilizer performs better results in tensile strength, Young’s Modulus, and elongation at break than samples without compatibilizer. On the other hand, the aging affected were studied on compatibilized and uncompatibilized blends. It was found that aging affects the samples by decreasing the tensile strength, Young’s Modulus, and elongation at break. The crosslink density had been found higher in the blends with high EPDM-r content as the EPDM-r had the ability to swell. The morphological study related to the structure with the tensile properties. It was confirmed that the presence of a compatibilizer increased the compatibility between EPDM-r and PP matrix.