Crosslinking induced by in‐situ coordination in acrylonitrile butadiene rubber/poly(vinyl chloride) alloy,filled with anhydrous copper sulfate particles

Acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBR)/poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) alloy, filled with anhydrous copper sulfate (CuSO₄) particles, was investigated for the first time. The material could be crosslinked in the existence of CuSO₄ by heat pressing, without any other crosslink agents. The crosslinking in the material was induced by in situ coordination between nitrile groups of NBR and solid CuSO₄ particles, which is thoroughly different from the traditional vulcanization of rubber materials. The coordination crosslinking is formed during heat pressing, other than in solutions, which is valuable for practical applications. The resulting material showed excellent tensile properties, and the maximum strength was close to 90 MPa. The CuSO₄ particles act not only as crosslink agents, but also as reinforcing fillers in the polymer matrix. In this work, dynamic mechanical analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectrum, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope, energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectrum, equilibrium swelling method, and tensile test were performed for the characterization of the material. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 378–386, 2006     

Preparation and properties of nanocomposites based on acrylonitrile–butadiene rubber,styrene–butadiene rubber,and polybutadiene rubber

Nanocomposites were prepared with different grades of nitrile rubber with acrylonitrile contents of 19, 34, and 50%, with styrene–butadiene rubber (23% styrene content), and with polybutadiene rubber with Na‐montmorillonite clay. The clay was modified with stearyl amine and was characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The XRD studies showed an increase in the gallery gap upon the modification of the filler by stearyl amine. The intercalation of the amine chains into the clay gallery gap was confirmed by the presence of some extra peaks (2928, 2846, and 1553 cm^?1) in the FTIR spectra. The clay–rubber nanocomposites were characterized by TEM and XRD. The mechanical properties were studied for all the compositions. An improvement in the mechanical properties with the degree of filler loading up to a certain level was observed. The changes in the mechanical properties, with changes in the nature and polarity of the rubbers, were explained with the help of XRD and TEM results. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 1573–1585, 2004     

Crosslinking behavior and enhanced mechanical properties of acrylonitrile‐butadiene rubber composites by incorporating aluminum ammonium sulfate particles

The crosslinked structure formed by the metal coordination bonding provides excellent and new properties for rubber materials. Herein, the crosslinking of acrylonitrile‐butadiene rubber (NBR) is induced by introducing aluminum ammonium sulfate (NH₄Al(SO₄)₂·12H₂O) particles. The crosslinking behavior, morphology, mechanical properties, and the Akron abrasion resistance of NBR/NH₄Al(SO₄)₂·12H₂O composites were fully explored. The results show that the three‐dimensional crosslinking structure is held together by metal–ligand coordination bonds between the nitrile group and AI(III). The coordination crosslink density exhibits a considerable increase with the addition of NH₄Al(SO₄)₂·12H₂O. Thus, the mechanical properties and abrasion resistance of the obtained composites are better than that of NBR/sulfur system. Interestingly, the elongation at break for NBR/NH₄Al(SO₄)₂·12H₂O composites is over 2000% due to the nature of coordination bonds. The abrasion volume loss decreases to 0.4 cm³ for NBR/NH₄Al(SO₄)₂·12H₂O composites with 20 phr NH₄Al(SO₄)₂·12H₂O particles as compared to 0.75 cm³ for NBR/sulfur system. The obtained NBR composites with facile preparation and excellent mechanical properties make the composites based on metal coordination bonding attractive for practical use. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2019 , 57, 879–886     

Filler–polymer interactions in both silica and carbon black‐filled styrene–butadiene rubber compounds

Bound rubber in a filled rubber compound is formed by physical adsorption and chemisorption between the rubber and the filler. Styrene–butadiene rubber (SBR) is composed of four components of styrene, cis‐1,4‐, trans‐1,4‐, and 1,2‐units. Filler–polymer interactions in both silica and carbon black‐filled SBR compounds were studied by analyzing microstructures of the bound rubbers with pyrolysis‐gas chromatography. Differences in the filler–polymer interactions of the styrene, cis‐1,4‐, trans‐1,4‐, and 1,2‐units were investigated. The filler–polymer interactions of the butadiene units were found to be stronger than that of the styrene unit. The interactions of the cis‐1,4‐ and trans‐1,4‐units were stronger with carbon black than with silica, whereas the 1,2‐unit interacted more strongly with silica than with carbon black. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 39: 439–445, 2001     

Filler‐polymer interactions of styrene and butadiene units in silica‐filled styrene–butadiene rubber compounds

Styrene–butadiene rubber (SBR) is a copolymer of styrene and butadiene, and the butadiene unit is composed of cis‐1,4‐, trans‐1,4‐, and 1,2‐components. Filler‐polymer interactions of each component of SBR in silica‐filled SBR compounds were examined by microstructure analysis of the bound and unbound rubbers. The composition ratio of butadiene and styrene units (butadiene/styrene) of the bound rubber was higher than that of the compounded rubber. Of the butadiene units, the 1,2‐component of the bound rubber was more abundant than the cis‐1,4‐ and trans‐1,4‐components. The filler‐polymer interaction of the butadiene unit with silica was stronger than that of the styrene unit, and the interaction of the 1,2‐component was stronger as compared with the others. The butadiene–styrene ratio of the bound rubber of the compounds containing the silane coupling agent was lower than for the compounds without the silane. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 577–584, 2004     

A new method for crosslinking and reinforcing acrylonitrile–butadiene rubber using a silanized silica nanofiller

Using a high loading of synthetic precipitated amorphous white silica nanofiller, an acrylonitrile–butadiene rubber containing 26% by weight acrylonitrile was crosslinked and its mechanical properties were measured. The silica surfaces were pre‐treated with bis(3‐triethoxysilylpropyl)tetrasulfide (TESPT) to chemically adhere silica to the rubber. To optimize the reaction between the tetrasulfane groups of TESPT and the rubber, accelerator and activator were added. The rubber was fully crosslinked and the hardness, tensile strength, stored energy density at break, elongation at break, tearing energy, and modulus increased substantially because of the filler. The bound rubber, crosslink density, tan δ, and glass transition temperature measurements indicated a strong interaction between the filler and rubber. This new method helped to substantially reduce the use of the curing chemicals and produce a safer and more cost‐effective rubber compound without compromising the good mechanical properties of the rubber, which are essential for long service life. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Transport properties of crosslinked acrylonitrile butadiene rubber/poly(ethylene‐co‐vinyl acetate) blends

The diffusion and transport of organic solvents through crosslinked nitrile rubber/poly(ethylene‐co‐vinyl acetate) (NBR/EVA) blends have been studied. The diffusion of cyclohexanone through these blends was studied with special reference to blend composition, crosslinking systems, fillers, filler loading, and temperature. At room temperature the mechanism of diffusion was found to be Fickian for cyclohexanone–NBR/EVA blend systems. However, a deviation from the Fickian mode of diffusion is observed at higher temperature. The transport coefficients, namely, intrinsic diffusion coefficient (D*), sorption coefficient (S), and permeation coefficient (P) increase with the increase in NBR content. The sorption data have been used to estimate the activation energies for permeation and diffusion. The van't Hoff relationship was used to determine the thermodynamic parameters. The affine and phantom models for chemical crosslinks were used to predict the nature of crosslinks. The experimental results were compared with the theoretical predictions. The influence of penetrants transport was studied using dichloromethane, chloroform, and carbon tetrachloride. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 37: 1815–1831, 1999     

Radiation-induced graft polymerization of maleic acid and maleic anhydride onto ultra-fine powdered styrene–butadiene rubber (UFSBR)

The functionalization of ultra-fine powdered styrene–butadiene rubber (UFSBR) was carried out using gamma radiation-induced graft polymerization of maleic acid (MA) and maleic anhydride (MAH), respectively. It was found that the graft yield of MA onto UFSBR increased rapidly up to the peak and then decreased with increasing MA content. Moreover, the peak shifted to the direction of lower MA content with increasing absorbed dose. Similarly, there was the peak of graft yield with increasing MAH content for grafting of MAH onto UFSBR, whereas the peak of graft yield was achieved at 10 wt% MAH content at different absorbed doses. On the other hand, increasing absorbed dose and decreasing monomer contents are useful to improve the graft efficiency of MA and MAH. At high dose and low monomer content, the graft yield of MAH onto UFSBR is higher than that of MA. FTIR spectra confirmed that both MA and MAH can be grafted successfully onto the UFSBR under gamma irradiation, respectively. Comparing with maleation of rubber by melt grafting, the graft yield of MAH on UFSBR is higher, which can be attributed to the network structure and nanometer size of UFSBR as well as high energy provided by radiation.     

Improvement of properties of silica‐filled styrene‐butadiene rubber composites through plasma surface modification of silica

The performance of plasma surface modified silica filler in styrene‐butadiene rubber (SBR) matrix has been analyzed. The conditions of plasma modification have been optimized by taking secant modulus as a standard parameter and the occurrence of the modification has been confirmed by surface area determination and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The plasma‐modified surface of silica has been found to be composed of carbon–carbon double bonds and carbon–hydrogen bonds. Silane treatment also has been carried out on silica filler surface for a comparative assessment of its influence in the curing behavior and filler–rubber interaction. The cure reactions of all the rubber compounds have been found to be proceeded according to first‐order kinetics. A reduction in the cure reaction rate constant has been observed with the loading of unmodified and surface modified silica, emphasizing the cure deactivation of the matrix rubber by the silica filler. The filler dispersion, as revealed by scanning electron microscopy, has been found to be greatly improved by the plasma as well as silane treatment. The filler–rubber interaction has been found to be greatly improved by both surface treatments, but the best balance of mechanical properties has been observed with plasma surface modification only. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Kinetics and mechanism of grafting of undecylenic acid onto acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene terpolymer

The graft copolymerization of undecylenic acid onto acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene terpolymer (ABS) was initiated with benzoyl peroxide (BPO) in a 1,2‐dichloroethane solution. IR spectra confirmed that undecylenic acid was successfully grafted onto the ABS backbone. The influence of the concentrations of undecylenic acid, BPO, and ABS on the graft copolymerization was studied. A reaction mechanism was proposed: the grafting most likely took place through the addition of poly(undecylenic acid) radicals to the double bond of the butadiene region of ABS. A monomer cage effect on the graft reaction was observed to depend on the 1.5 power of the monomer concentration from the experimental results of the initial rate of graft copolymerization. The initial rate of graft copolymerization was written as R_p = 1.77 × 10⁻³[P][I₂][M]^2.5/([P]+2.75[M]^2.5)². © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 39: 486–494, 2001     

Structure and properties of rubber/organic montmorillonite nanocomposites prepared by in situ anionic intercalation polymerization

Polybutadiene (PB), polyisoprene (PI), and styrene–butadiene rubber/organic montmorillonite (OMMT) nanocomposites (NCs) were prepared by in situ anionic intercalation polymerization. The intercalation structure, chemical constitution, and morphology of the rubber/OMMT NCs were characterized with X‐ray diffraction, H NMR spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy; the thermal and dynamic mechanical properties of the rubber/OMMT NCs were characterized with differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, and dynamic mechanical analysis. The mechanical properties of PB/OMMT NC were also tested. The results showed that a certain extent of exfoliated rubber/OMMT could be prepared by anionic in situ intercalation polymerization. The incorporation of OMMT obviously changed the microstructure content of PB and PI: the concentrations of the 1,2‐unit, 3,4‐unit, and trans‐1,4‐unit increased dramatically with an increasing concentration of OMMT, and the concentration of the cis‐1,4 structure decreased. The addition of OMMT‐DK1B and OMMT‐DK4 had little effect on the molecular weight and molecular weight distribution, but the addition of OMMT‐DK1 reduced the molecular weight of rubber, and the molecular weight distribution became broad. The glass‐transition temperature, weight‐loss temperature, storage modulus, and loss modulus of the NCs evidently increased, but tan δ decreased. OMMT apparently enhanced the rubber matrix; for example, the breaking strength and hardness of PB/OMMT NC crosslinked rubber increased greatly, but the tear strength and permanent deformation did not change much. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 43: 1344–1353, 2005     

Crosslinking of styrene–butadiene rubber with 1,2-bis(benzocyclobutenyl)ethane

1,2-Bis(benzocyclobutenyl)ethane (BBCB) was used as a thermally activated crosslinking agent in styrene–butadiene rubber (SBR), both in the raw and carbon black-filled materials. Diels–Alder crosslinking reactions occurred to a significant degree, despite the lack of substituents of opposing electronic effects. The reaction is free of toxic crosslinking promoters and evolved by-products. Various physical properties such as ultimate elongation, tensile strength, and modulus were measured and compared to those properties of a sulfur-cured sample of SBR. Linear relationships were found between the amount of BBCB present and the modulus of the materials, as well as the amount of BBCB and solvent uptake in swell tests. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

A linear heterometallic bismuth–copper coordination polymer containing two types of organic ligands

In the linear coordination polymer catena‐poly[[[aqua(1,10‐phenanthroline‐κ²N,N′)copper(II)]‐μ‐pyridine‐2,6‐dicarboxylato‐κ⁴O²:O^2′,N,O⁶‐[(nitrato‐κ²O,O′)bismuth(III)]‐μ‐pyridine‐2,6‐dicarboxylato‐κ⁴O²,N,O⁶:O^6′] dihydrate], {[Bi^IIICu^II(C₇H₃NO₄)₂(NO₃)(C₁₂H₈N₂)(H₂O)]·2H₂O}_n, the Bi^III cation is O,N,O′‐chelated by the two pyridine‐2,6‐dicarboxylate ligands and O,O′‐chelated by the nitrate anion, the nine coordinating atoms conferring a tricapped trigonal prismatic environment on the metal centre. Each pyridine‐2,6‐dicarboxylate ligand uses one of its carboxylate O atoms to bind to an aqua(1,10‐phenanthroline)copper(II) unit, the Cu—O dative bonds giving rise to the formation of a ribbon motif. The Cu^II cation exhibits a square‐pyramidal geometry. The ribbon motif propagates along the shortest axis of the triclinic unit cell and the solvent water molecules are hydrogen bonded to the same ribbon.     

A Closed‐Loop Control Strategy for Producing Nitrile Rubber of Uniform Chemical Composition in a Semibatch Reactor: A Simulation Study

To improve the quality of industrial nitrile rubbers, the copolymer chemical composition, p_A(t), should ideally be kept constant along the reaction. This work proposes a closed‐loop control strategy for the semibatch operation of the reactor with the aim of regulating p_A(t) within a reduced range of variability. The proposed strategy is evaluated by simulating a mathematical model of the process. To this effect, a simplified mathematical model of the reaction is first derived and then utilized to obtain a suboptimal control law and a soft‐sensor that estimates the polymerization rates. The suboptimal control law is compensated by adding a term proportional to errors in p_A(t). The simulated example considers the production of the low‐composition AJLT grade, with the copolymerization reaction represented by a detailed mathematical model adjusted to an industrial plant. Due to the high performance of the soft‐sensor, the simulation results suggest that the proposed closed‐loop strategy is efficient to adequately regulate p_A(t) in spite of structural and parametric uncertainties, while other quality variables remained practically unaffected.     

A SAXS and swelling study of cured natural rubber/styrene–butadiene rubber blends

A small‐angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS) and swelling study of natural rubber and styrene–butadiene rubber blends (NR/SBR) is presented. To this aim, specimens of NR and SBR and blends with 75/25, 50/50, and 25/75 NR/SBR ratios (in phr) were prepared at a cure temperature of 433 K and the optimum cure time (t₁₀₀). This time was obtained from rheometer torque curves. The system of cure used in the samples was sulfur/n‐t‐butyl‐2‐benzothiazole sulfenamide. From swelling tests of the cured samples, information about the molecular weight of the network chain between chemical crosslinks was obtained. For all cured compounds, in the Lorentz plots built from SAXS scattering curves, a maximum of the scattering vector q around 0.14 Å^?1 was observed. However, the q position shows a linear‐like shift toward lower values when the SBR content in the SBR/NR blend increases. In pure NR or SBR the q values show a different tendency. The results obtained are discussed in terms of the existence of different levels of vulcanization for each single phase forming the blend and the existence of a third level of vulcanization located in the interfacial NR/SBR layer. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 47: 2320–2327, 2009     

Investigation on crosslinking behaviors of NBR/PVC filled with anhydrous copper sulfate particles by dynamic mechanical analysis

Crosslinking behaviors of acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBR)/poly (vinyl chloride) (PVC) alloy, filled with anhydrous copper sulfate (CuSO₄) particles, were investigated for the first time by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) under hetero and isothermal modes, respectively. In the heterothermal testing, (NBR/PVC)/CuSO₄ compound showed two marked increases in the storage modulus (E′), corresponding to coordination crosslinking of NBR-CuSO₄ and self-crosslinking of NBR and PVC respectively. During the isothermal testing, a dramatic increase in E′ was found at the initial stage while that of original NBR/PVC alloy was not detected. The marked increase in E′ of (NBR/PVC)/CuSO₄ compound was mainly due to the crosslinking induced by coordination between  CN and Cu²⁺. The increasing extent of E′ increased with the rise of CuSO₄ content, suggesting the formation of a greater number of crosslinks. Moreover, the activation energy (E_a) of crosslinking process was about 139 kJ/mol. In this work, fourier transform infrared spectrum (FT-IR) and equilibrium swelling method were also performed for the characterization of the compound. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 41–51, 2007     

Synthesis of peroxide‐curable butyl rubber via suzuki–miyaura coupling of halogenated butyl rubber with 4‐vinylphenylboronic acid

The Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reaction of brominated butyl rubber (BIIR) and/or chlorinated butyl rubber with a mixture of 4‐vinylphenylboronic acid and phenylboronic acid was carried out in THF under various conditions using a di‐μ‐chlorobis [5‐hydroxy‐2‐[1‐(hydroxyimino‐κN)ethyl]phenylκC] palladium(II) dimer, which is a type of cyclopalladated complex, as a catalyst. When BIIR and a small amount (Pd/Br ≈ 1/1000) of complex were used as the substrate and catalyst, respectively, a 4‐vinylphenyl and phenyl group could be introduced to butyl rubber in a high yield. Isomerization of the exo carbon–carbon double bond in BIIR was observed during the coupling reaction to give a cis and trans endo structure. The peroxide curing behavior of the resulting polymer at 170 °C indicated that the polymer could be cured by dicumyl peroxide, and the maximum torque of the resulting material, which reflects the crosslink density, was controllable by the composition of the boronic acids used. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Novel biphasic structured composite prepared by in situ silica filling in natural rubber latex

The sol‐gel reaction of tetraethoxysilane in natural rubber (NR) latex was conducted to produce in situ silica‐filled NR latex, followed by adding sulfur cross‐linking reagents to the latex in a liquid state. The latex was cast and subjected to sulfur curing to result in a unique morphology in the NR composite of a flexible film form. The contents of in situ silica filling were controlled up to 35 parts per one hundred rubber by weight. The silica was locally dispersed around rubber particles to give a filler network. This characteristic morphology brought about the composite of good dynamic mechanical properties. Synchrotron X‐ray absorption near‐edge structure spectroscopy suggested that the sulfidic linkages of the sulfur cross‐linked composites were polysulfidic, S_x (x ≥ 2), and a fraction of shorter polysulfidic linkages became larger with the increase of in situ silica. The present observations will be of use for developing a novel in situ silica‐filled NR composite prepared in NR latex via liquid‐phase soft processing. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Measurement of high frequency linear viscoelastic functions of a nitrile‐butadiene rubber compound by ultrasound spectroscopy

The storage and loss components of the complex wave modulus, M*(ω), measured on a nitrile‐butadiene rubber compound (NBR‐DIN 53538) by ultrasound spectroscopy at a temperature of 293.2 K, were combined with the components of the complex shear modulus, G*(ω), measured on the same sample in a commercial Rheometric Scientific ARES instrument with torsion geometry at different frequencies and temperatures, and superposed in a master plot using the time–temperature superposition principle. From the combined measurements the components of the complex bulk modulus, K*(ω), were obtained by means of the exact formula M*(ω) = K*(ω) + (4/3)G*(ω). Some of the features of the complex bulk modulus reported in the literature for polymeric materials are confirmed for the NBR‐DIN mixture. The maxima in G″(ω) and K″(ω) are separated by more than one order of magnitude in the frequency scale and furthermore, the shapes of the peaks are different. The simple idea, that, for many polymers, the mechanisms for relaxation in shear and in bulk are of the same basic nature appears not to be supported by the present data. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 91–102, 2007     

Preparation of poly(methyl methacrylate)–poly(acrylonitrile‐co‐butadiene) core–shell nanoparticles

Poly(methyl methacrylate)–poly(acrylonitrile‐co‐butadiene) (PMMA–NBR) core–shell structured nanoparticles were prepared using a two‐stage semibatch microemulsion polymerization system with PMMA and NBR as the core and shell, respectively. The Gemini surfactant 12‐3‐12 was used as the emulsifier and found to impose a pronounced influence on the formation of core–shell nanoparticles. The spherical morphology of core–shell nanoparticles was observed. It was found that there exists an optimal MMA addition amount, which can result in the minimized size of PMMA–NBR core–shell nanoparticles. The formation mechanism of the core–shell structure and the interaction between the core and shell domains was illustrated. The PMMA–NBR nanosize latex can be used as the substrate for the following direct latex hydrogenation catalyzed by Wilkinson's catalyst to prepare the PMMA–HNBR (hydrogenated NBR) core–shell nanoparticles. The hydrogenation rate is rapid. In the absence of any organic solvent, the PMMA–HNBR nanoparticles with a size of 30.6 nm were obtained within 3 h using 0.9 wt % Wilkinson's catalyst at 130 °C under 1000 psi of H₂. This study provides a new perspective in the chemical modification of NBR and shows promise in the realization of a “green” process for the commercial hydrogenation of unsaturated elastomers. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012