Ionic Liquids Applied to Improve the Dispersion of Coagent Particles in an Elastomer

The aim of this work was to study the activity of several ionic liquids (alkylimidazolium salts) that are used to improve the dispersion of coagent particles in peroxide-cross-linked hydrogenated acrylonitrile butadiene elastomer (HNBR). Hydrotalcite grafted with monoallyl maleate was applied as a coagent for the HNBR vulcanization. In this paper, we discuss the effect of the ionic liquids (alkylimidazolium salts) with respect to their anion (bromide, chloride, tetrafluoroborate, and hexafluorophosphate) and the length of alkyl chain in the cation (allyl-, ethyl-, butyl-, hexyl-, and octyl-) on the vulcanization kinetics of rubber compounds. The influence of ionic liquids on the cross-link density, the mechanical properties of the vulcanizates, and their resistance to weather ageing were also studied. Alkylimidazolium salts seem to improve the dispersion of the coagent particles and to be active in the cross-linking of HNBR with peroxide. The type of ionic liquid considerably influences the activity of the coagent particles toward the HNBR. The application of ionic liquids increases the cross-link density of the vulcanizates and improves their resistance to weather aging