| Abstract: | The effects of diffusion in the oxidation of cis-1,4-polyisoprene vulcanizates were investigated by means of the stress relaxation method. It was assumed that the diffusion of oxygen is coupled with first-order oxygen consumption and that the rate of chain scission is proportional to the rate of oxygen consumption. The diffusion equation of this process was solved under the steady-state condition to give a simple relation between the rate of chain scission and the film thickness. The experimental results were in good agreement with the theoretical treatment. The true activation energy as well as the ratio of the rate of oxidation k to the diffusion constant D could be estimated. |
