Thermal degradation and pyrolysis study of brominated butyl rubber‐based damping material

Abstract

This paper deals with the thermal stability and decomposition behavior of brominated butyl rubber‐based damping material (BRP). The raw materials, butyl rubber matrix (IIR) and brominated phenolic resin (PF), were also investigated as control. IIR shows one decomposition stage, while PF shows four weight loss stages. Flynn‐Wall‐Ozawa calculation indicates that BRP has thermal stability between IIR and PF. Thermogravimetric analysis–Fourier transform infrared (TGA‐FTIR) and pyrolysis–gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) were used to investigate the volatile products under nitrogen atmosphere. As expected, BRP shows combined thermal decomposition behavior of both IIR and PF. The degradation mechanism of BRP was proposed, which is not significantly influenced by the incorporation of PF. The application stability of BRP is worth to be noticed since the post‐cure effect, that is, the free radicals remained from vulcanization would cause additional cross‐linking when stored at 80°C to 120°C.