Effect of stearic acid concentration on the reversion behavior of epoxidized natural rubber

Abstract

The effect of stearic acid concentration on the reversion behavior of epoxidized natural rubber (ENR 25 and ENR 50) was carried out in the temperature range of 150–180°C and 0.5–14.5 phr of stearic acid loading. Three common accelerators; namely, zinc dimethyldithiocarbamate (ZDMC), tetramethylthiuram disulfide (TMTD), and N-morpholinylbenzothiazole-2-sulfenamide (MBS) and conventional sulfur vulcanization system was used throughout the study. A Monsanto oscillating-disk rheometer was used to determine the reversion behavior of the rubber. Results indicate that for all the accelerators used, reversion decreases with increasing stearic acid concentration. The rate of decrease is more gradual up to about 6.5 phr of stearic acid, after which a rapid drop of reversion is observed for both ENR 25 and ENR 50. This observation is attributed to the increasing amount of mono- and disulfidic crosslinks as a result of desulfuration of polysulfidic crosslinks. The higher the stearic acid loading, the greater is the retardation effect on vulcanization; that is, more time is available for desulfuration. Increasing temperature would increase the reversion of the rubber vulcanizate because of the increase in thermal energy to decompose more crosslinks, including mono- and ether crosslinks for temperature higher than 160°C. ZDMC (an ultrafast accelerator) gives a higher reversion than MBS (a delay-action accelerator), because desulfuration occurs more slowly in the former system. The observed decrease in reversion as stearic acid concentration increases is technologically importance, because the aging property of the rubber vulcanizate is significantly improved. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 73: 1165–1169, 1999