Effect of butyl rubber type on properties of polyamide and butyl rubber blends

Abstract

AbstractPolyamide‐12 was blended with butyl rubber, bromobutyl rubber, and chlorobutyl rubber with and without a sulfur curing system. Mechanical properties for dynamically vulcanized blends generally exceed those made with no vulcanization. Chlorobutyl‐containing blends prepared by dynamic vulcanization have higher tensile strength and elongation at break values in comparison to those made from other butyl rubbers. For a variety of polyamide/rubber blends made by dynamic vulcanization, there is very little effect of rubber percentage unsaturation and Mooney viscosity on the mechanical properties of the blends. In chlorobutyl‐containing blends prepared by dynamic vulcanization, the swelling index values attributed to the rubber portion decrease as rubber content decreases, and it is likely that the polyamide phase completely surrounds the rubber particles at compositions exceeding approximately 25% polyamide. Swelling index results can be correlated with elongation at break values for similar blends. The results of differential scanning calorimetry suggest that the polyamide phase is not a neutral component in high shear mixing with butyl rubbers with or without curing agents. Rheological studies indicate strong non‐Newtonian behavior for all blends of polyamide‐12 with butyl rubbers. Scanning electron microscopy on polyamide‐12/butyl rubber blends indicates compatibility for butyl rubbers in the order of chlorobutyl > bromobutyl > butyl rubber. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 93: 1423–1435, 2004