Mechanical Properties and Thermooxidative Aging of a Ternary Blend, Pvc/Enr/Nbr, Compared with the Binary Blends of Pvc

Abstract

In the quest to improve the thermooxidative aging of the poly(vinyl chloride)/epoxidized natural rubber (PVC/ENR) blend, nitrile rubber (NBR) was incorporated into the blend to yield a ternary blend of PVC/ENR/NBR. A Brabender Plasticorder with a mixing attachment was used to perform the melt mixing at 150°C and 50 rpm followed by compression molding. The mechanical properties, dynamic mechanical properties, and thermooxidative aging behavior of the ternary blend were compared with those of the binary blends (i.e., PVC/ENR and PVC/NBR). It was found that the ternary blend exhibits mechanical properties which are superior to those of PVC/ENR. A single glass transition temperature (T g) obtained from dynamic mechanical analysis coupled with synergism in the modulus and some other mechanical properties indicate that PVC, ENR, and NBR form a single phase (miscible system) in the ternary blend. Di-2-ethyl hexylphthalate (DOP) plasti-cizer improves the aging resistance of the blends generally, whereas the presence of CaCO3 as a filler only imparts minor influences on the properties and aging resistance of the blends.