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Chemical and bonding effects of exposing uncured PBI‐NBR insulation to ambient conditions
Author(s) -
Parry Shawn,
Pancoast Justin,
Mildenhall Scott
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.42636
Subject(s) - vulcanization , materials science , composite material , polymer , nitrile rubber , natural rubber , chemical bond , polymer chemistry , chemical engineering , organic chemistry , chemistry , engineering
Uncured Polybenzimidazole‐Nitrile Butadiene Rubber (PBI‐NBR) insulation experiences altered chemical and bonding phenomena if exposed to ambient conditions while in a sheet‐stock configuration. Multiple lots of a PBI‐NBR formulation exposed to ambient and slightly elevated temperature (100°F) conditions experience bonding degradation when vulcanized to a metal substrate. Chemical analyses show that tallow amine (clay particle surfactant) accumulates at the surface of uncured NBR as a function of ambient and 100°F exposure time. Additionally, thin film analyses suggest surface oxidation of NBR polymers when exposed to the ambient environment. Mechanical and chemical observations imply a correlation between vulcanized bonding performance with tallow amine diffusion and polymer surface reaction. The diffusion and reactivity of chemical species found in the PBI‐NBR formulation has implications to other fields employing these components. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132 , 42636.