A Study of Mechanical and Optical Properties of an Alternating NBR and an Emulsion NBR

Abstract

Abstract At low elongation, over the range of temperatures and frequencies studied, the dynamic properties (elastic modulus and loss factor) and activation energy for the glass-rubber transition are the same for highly alternating and emulsion copolymers of acrylonitrile and butadiene. At higher elongation the stress-birefringence and x-ray data on cured (1.7 phr dicumyl peroxide) highly alternating copolymer show the occurrence of strain-induced crystallization, whereas the emulsion copolymer does not crystallize under strain. The stress-strain data for the highly alternating copolymer cured at 1.7 phr dicumyl peroxide and for the emulsion copolymer cured at 1.7 phr and 0.8 phr show that at 1.7 phr dicumyl peroxide the highly alternating copolymer has higher ultimate strength. However, the emulsion copolymer cured by 0.8 phr dicumyl peroxide shows tensile properties similar to those of the highly alternating copolymer cured by 1.7 phr dicumyl peroxide. Therefore, it may be concluded that the increased strength and ultimate elongation of highly alternating copolymer, as reported by Furukawa, are due to the fact that at the same curative level the emulsion copolymer gets over-cured resulting in lower ultimate strength and elongation. This present study indicates that it is not appropriate to compare the ultimate properties of the emulsion and highly alternating copolymers cured at the same level of dicumyl peroxide. Slight adjustment in curing condition brings highly alternating and emulsion copolymers closer in tensile strength and ultimate elongation. In conclusion, it may be said that this study indicates that highly alternating NBR shows tensile properties similar to those obtained for emulsion NBR already produced commercially.