Chemical preparation of conductive elastomeric blends: Polypyrrole/EPDM. I. Oxidant particle-size effect

This work describes the preparation of polypyrrole and EPDM rubber blends, PPy/EPDM, by the sorption of pyrrole (vapor phase) in an EPDM matrix containing CuCl₂. We investigated the effect of the oxidant particle-size on the sorption and polymerization equilibrium, electrical conductivity, and mechanical properties of the blends. Independently of the CuCl₂ concentration and polymerization time, the polypyrrole weight fraction in the blend, X_ppy, increases when the oxidant particle-size in changed from 150–250 μm to smaller than 106 μm. For blends containing 50 phr of CuCl₂, obtained following 72 h of exposure to pyrrole, an increase in the Young's Modulus (from 2.2 ± 0.2 to 3.9 ± 0.6 MPa) and an increase in the electrical conductivity (from 10^?9 to 10^?7 S cm^?1) was observed when the oxidant particle-size was decreased. Infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, scanning differential calorimetry, and scanning electron microscopy were used in sample characterization. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Synthesis of N,N-diethyldithiocarbamate functionalized 1,4-polyisoprene, from natural rubber and synthetic 1,4-polyisoprene

N,N-Diethyldithiocarbamate functionnalized 1,4-polyisoprenes were prepared from 1,4-polyisoprenes (natural or synthetic). The syntheses were performed by nucleophilic addition of N,N-diethyldithiocarbamate salts upon oxirane rings of epoxidized units according to a SN2 mechanism with ring opening. Studies on model molecules of epoxidized 1,4-polyisoprene units (1,2-epoxy-1-methylcyclohexane and 4,5-epoxy-4-methyloctane) were previously achieved to develop the procedure. The best yields were obtained at low temperature in polar medium, and more especially in water with sodium N,N-diethyldithiocarbamate (DEDT-Na) as reagent. A diastereospecific addition was noted when reaction was performed in water with DEDT-Na. Afterwards, the developed procedure was successfully generalized to epoxidized synthetic polyisoprenes and epoxidized natural rubber (in THF, then in latex medium). Excellent results were obtained in latex medium with epoxidized natural rubber (ENR) latices. As with the models, a diastereospecific addition of sodium N,N-diethyldithiocarbamate trihydrate onto epoxidized 1,4-polyisoprene units of ENR was observed at the condition to bring the latex medium to pH 8 before introduction of DEDT-Na. Influence of temperature, drc, and DEDT-Na concentration were successively examined to determine the best conditions of the addition on ENR latices.     

双嵌段共聚物薄膜介观结构的耗散粒子动力学模拟

采用耗散粒子动力学(Dissipative Particle Dynamics, DPD)方法模拟两平行平板间的双嵌段共聚物体系的介观结构. 模拟结果表明, 随板间距的增大, 体系分层数量的增加是不连续的, 在分层数量的增加过程中, 出现不规则结构的过渡区；聚合物链末端距随板间距的增大呈周期性振荡, 振荡幅度逐渐减小. 对模拟结果的分析表明：层状结构转变点与分层数量之间存在近似线性关系；层状结构转变点近似与共聚物链长的2/3次方成正比.     

On the Hydrolytic Stability of Organic Ligands in Al-, Ti- and Zr-Alkoxide Complexes

The complexation degrees of Al-, Ti- and Zr-butoxide (M) with unsaturated and saturated -diketones (3-allylpentane-2.4-dione-APD, acetylacetone-ACAC) and -ketoesters (methacryloxyethyl-acetoacetate-MEAA, allylacetoacetate-AAA, ethylacetoacetate-EAA) as organic ligands (L) were examined by IR and ¹³ C NMR spectroscopy and were found to be L:M 1.5. The hydrolytic stability of the ligands of the metal alkoxide complexes (L:M = 1) during hydrolysis/condensation reactions at the molar ratio h (H₂O : OR) = 0.5–2.0 decreases with increasing H$$₂O:complex ratio. Furthermore, the ligand stability depends on the type of metal in the complexes and decreases in the order Al- > Zr- > Ti-butoxide complexes at h=1. The ACAC ligand likewise shows in the Al-, Ti- and Zr-butoxide complexes a high hydrolytic stability (95–100%) at h=1 within 7 days. The Ti- and Zr-butoxide complexes with -ketoesters as ligand show at h=1> a release to a different extent e.g., up to 60% in the case of the MEAA-ligand in the Ti-butoxide complex after 2 days. In general, the hydrolytic stability of the ligands in the Ti-butoxide complexes (L:M = 1, h=1) decreases in the order ACAC > APD > AAA > EAA MEAA. The hydrolysis/condensation reaction of complexes having a weak ligand stability leads to larger particle sizes in the sols than those with stable ACAC ligands. The results contribute to a more controlled synthesis of sols and of new inorganic-organic hybrid polymers via the sol-gel process.     

Thermocapillary Alignment of Gas Bubbles Induced by Convective Transport

The effect of a weak convective heat transfer on the thermocapillary interaction of two bubbles with an arbitrary orientation relative to an externally imposed temperature gradient is examined. Asymptotic analysis of the case of large separation distances, Z, suggests that the corrections to the bubbles' velocities are of (Pe/Z²), rather than (Pe²) previously found for an isolated bubble. Equal-sized bubbles are known to move with the same velocities, as if they were isolated, when heat conduction is the only transport mechanism. However, the convective transport results in a relative motion of the bubbles. The tendency of equal bubbles to line up in a plane perpendicular to the applied thermal gradient is shown analytically in the weakly nonlinear limit of small Pe numbers, and an interesting interaction behavior in the case of unequal bubbles is discussed.     

Studies on accelerated sulphur vulcanization of natural rubber using 1-phenyl-2, 4-dithiobiuret/tertiary butyl benzothiazole sulphenamide

The use of binary accelerators has gained tremendous importance since it increases the production rate of the article made of that elastomer. The authors have analyzed the performance of a novel binary accelerator system in the sulphur vulcanization of natural rubber (NR). The vulcanizates resulting from the binary accelerated process obtained good mechanical properties, ageing and swelling resistance. Network characterization of the mixes was done using swelling measurements, stress-strain analysis etc. The chain entanglement density was measured using dynamic mechanical analysis. However the performance is found to be dependent on the relative proportion of mono, di and polysulphidic linkages in the material. The result of the study points out that the proposed system can be active in NR regardless of the vulcanization recipe and temperature. The performance of the new binary system in filled vulcanizates is also studied. Based on the processing, mechanical and chemical characterization an optimum concentration is suggested for the new system.     

Rheological,mechanical and morphological properties of thermoplastic vulcanizates based on NR‐g‐PMMA/PMMA blends

Graft copolymer of natural rubber and poly(methyl methacrylate) (NR‐g‐PMMA) was prepared using semi‐batch emulsion polymerization technique via bipolar redox initiation system. It was found that the grafted PMMA increased with the increase of methyl methacrylate (MMA) concentration used in the graft copolymerization. The NR‐g‐PMMA was later used to prepare thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs) by blending with PMMA through dynamic vulcanization technique. Conventional vulcanization (CV) and efficient sulphur vulcanization (EV) systems were studied. It was found that the CV system provided polymer melt with lower shear stress and viscosity at a given shear rate. This causes ease of processability of the TPVs via extrusion and injection molding processes. Furthermore, the TPVs with the CV system showed higher ultimate tensile strength and elongation. The results correspond to the morphological properties of the TPVs. That is, finer dispersion of the small vulcanized rubber particles were observed in the PMMA matrix. Various blend ratios of the NR‐g‐PMMA/PMMA blends using various types of NR‐g‐PMMA (i.e. prepared using various percentage molar ratios of NR and MMA) were later studied via dynamic vulcanization by a conventional sulphur vulcanization system. It was found that increasing the level of PMMA caused increasing trend of the tensile strength and hardness properties but decreasing level of elongation properties. Increasing level of the grafted PMMA in NR molecules showed the same trend of mechanical properties as in the case of increasing concentration of PMMA used as a blend component. From morphological studies, two phase morphologies were observed with a continuous PMMA phase and dispersed elastomeric phase. It was also found that more finely dispersed elastomeric phase was obtained with increasing the grafted PMMA in the NR molecules. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

磺化丁基橡胶离聚体在混合溶剂中的聚集行为

用顺磁共振（ESR）谱和粘度法考察了磺化丁基橡胶离聚体在二甲苯／正己醇混合溶剂中的聚集行为．ESR谱表明离聚体的离子基团发生聚集，其聚集程度受极性共溶剂（正己醇）的影响．粘度考察表明，在不同的浓度时离子基团有不同的聚集形式，低浓度时以分子内聚集为主，高浓度时以分子间聚集为主．离聚体的聚集度（DA）与浓度（c）的关系可用经验式DA＝Aexp（kc2）表示，其中A、k为常数．k值反映聚集度受浓度影响的程度，醇含量增大时k值减小，这是因为醇对离子的溶剂化作用导致离子聚集的倾向减小．     

Effect of Variant Counterions on Stability and Particle Size of Silica Sol

The effects of variant counterions with ionic strength of 0.05, 0.10, 0.20 and 0.25 mol·kg^-1 on the stability and particle size of silica sols have been studied using the traditional methods of Ubbelohde viscosity measurement, TEM and titration respectively, finding that the stability and particle size of the silica sols are all concerned with the acidic, positively electric properties and the sizes of the counterions, as well as the attraction between the counterions and surface silicon hydroxyl groups of the silica sols. The small positively charged counterions lead to the decrease in particle sizes, making the silica sol the most stable. But the larger weakly acidic counterions can restrict the particle sizes of the silica sols and easily make the sols coagulate. It was also found that there existed a linear relationship between log r and log η, which has not ever been reported. The effect of temperature on the stability and particle sizes was also discussed.     

DIFFUSION OF LONG CHAINS THROUGH A POROUS THIN GEL NETWORK

Using a core(142 nm)made of linear polystyrene(PS)chains as a seed,we further polymerized a thin layer of cross-linked PS shell(7 nm)on it in water to form a core-shell particle.Such a particle swells in toluene,which enables linear PS chains inside the core to gradually diffuse out through the porous shell.Using a combination of static and dynamic laser light scattering,we examined the chain diffusion process by following the change of the scattering intensity(i.e.the average molar mass of the particles).For the first time,we have revealed that the diffusion exhibits three stages.In the first stage,the chain diffusion through the shell is even faster than their translational diffusion in a dilute solution.The three stages respectively correspond to the change of the solution in the core from concentrated to semidilute and then from semidilute to dilute.