Green Thermoplastic Vulcanizates Based on Silicone Rubber and Poly(butylene succinate) via In Situ Interfacial Compatibilization.

Abstract

Presenting a combination of sustainability and environmental friendliness, a new class of green and non-petroleum-based thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs) was successfully developed from silica-filled silicone rubber (FSR) and poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) via dynamic vulcanization. The phase morphology, interfacial compatibilization, and microstructural properties of FSR/PBS TPVs were investigated. Notably, a large number of FSR microparticles were observed and were dispersed in the continuous PBS phase, indicating complete phase inversion during the dynamic vulcanization. The fine phase morphology of FSR/PBS TPVs was achieved by a fine phase morphology of the SR/PBS premix, the good interfacial compatibility between the PBS phase and the cross-linked FSR phase, and complete phase inversion. The as-prepared TPVs possessed high tensile strength, good elastic behavior, easy processability, and reprocessability. These novel non-petroleum-based TPVs have potential applications in packagings, biomedical devices, and three-dimensional (3D) printing materials.