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Effect of compatibilizers on the miscibility of natural rubber/silicone rubber blends
Author(s) -
Li Mingjun,
Li Yuling,
Zhang Jie,
Feng Shengyu
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
polymer engineering and science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.503
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1548-2634
pISSN - 0032-3888
DOI - 10.1002/pen.23578
Subject(s) - compatibilization , materials science , miscibility , natural rubber , polymer , octane , composite material , silicone rubber , ultimate tensile strength , polymer blend , copolymer , chemical engineering , polymer chemistry , organic chemistry , chemistry , engineering
In this study, the blending system of natural rubber (NR) and silicone rubber (SR) at 70/30 ratio was investigated. Two kinds of graft polymers, polysiloxane‐g‐octane with different grafted ratios (polymers A, B, and C) and polysiloxane‐g‐(3,7‐dimethyl‐6‐octylene) (polymer D), were designed and synthesized to serve as compatibilizers. Dynamic mechanical analysis and scanning electron microscopy analyses showed that the compatibilizers improved the compatibility between NR and SR, and resulted in improved mechanical properties. For example, the tensile strength of the blends with compatibilizer C was 11.7 MPa, whereas that of the blends without any compatibilizer was only 7.86 MPa. The larger the grafted ratios, the better the compatibilization effect of the graft polymer. The differences in compatibilization effects between non‐reactive (polysiloxane‐g‐octane) and reactive [polysiloxane‐g‐(3,7‐dimethyl‐6‐octylene)] compatibilizers can be attributed to their different chemical compositions. The crosslink density obtained from solid‐state nuclear magnetic resonance indicated that the reactive compatibilizer (polymer D) engaged in the crosslink reaction through the active vinyl at the side chains, which effectively inhibited the decreasing trend of the crosslink density caused by the addition of compatibilizers. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 54:355–363, 2014. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers