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. 2022 Jul 4;14(13):2740.
doi: 10.3390/polym14132740.

Morphological Evolution and Damping Properties of Dynamically Vulcanized Butyl Rubber/Polypropylene Thermoplastic Elastomers

Qi Tang  1   2 , Shiteng Hu  1 , Lijing Han  2 , Chengzhong Zong  2 , Jujie Sun  1
Affiliations

Morphological Evolution and Damping Properties of Dynamically Vulcanized Butyl Rubber/Polypropylene Thermoplastic Elastomers

Qi Tang et al. Polymers (Basel). .

Abstract

We successfully prepared butyl rubber (IIR)/polypropylene (PP) thermoplastic vulcanizate (IIR/PP-TPV) for shock-absorption devices by dynamic vulcanization (DV) using octyl-phenolic resin as a vulcanizing agent and studied the morphological evolution and properties during DV. We found that the damping temperature region of the IIR/PP-TPV broadened with the disappearance of the glass transition temperature (Tg) in the PP phase, which is ascribed to the improvement of compatibility between the IIR and PP with increasing DV time. As DV progresses, the size of the dispersed IIR particles and the PP crystalline phase decreases, leading to the formation of a sea-island morphology. After four cycles of recycling, the retention rates of tensile strength and elongation at break of the IIR/PP-TPV reached 88% and 86%, respectively. The size of the IIR cross-linking particles in the IIR/PP-TPV becomes larger after melt recombination, and the continuous PP phase provides excellent recyclability. Significantly, the prepared IIR/PP-TPV exhibits excellent recyclability, high elasticity, and good damping property.

Keywords: butyl rubber; dynamic vulcanization; polypropylene; thermoplastic vulcanizate.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Mechanism of IIR vulcanized by octyl-phenolic resin: (a) mechanism of formation of C–C. (b) mechanism of formation of C–O–C.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The evolution of torque (M), spin–lattice relaxation (T1), and tensile strength (Ts) of IIR/PP-TPV with different DV times in torque rheometer. Samples with different DV times: (a) 30 s, (b) 90 s, (c) 120 s, and (d) 150 s.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The SEM micrographs: (a) IIR/PP-TPV with different DV times; (b) cross-linking particles of IIR after samples dissolved in hot xylene (120 °C × 6 h).
Figure 4
Figure 4
POM diagrams of IIR/PP-TPV samples with different DV times.
Figure 5
Figure 5
XRD pattern of IIR/PP-TPV samples with different DV times.
Figure 6
Figure 6
DMA thermogram of IIR/PP-TPV with different DV times: (a) E′, (b) E″, and (c) Tan δ.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Mechanical properties of repeatability of IIR/PP-TPV with different recycling times.
Figure 8
Figure 8
TEM micrographs of IIR/PP-TPV samples with different recycling times: (a) 0 times, (b) 1 time, (c) 3 times, and (d) 4 times.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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