The effect of the silica content on the state and properties of silica-filled styrene-butadiene rubber/butadiene rubber (SBR/BR) compounds containing coupling and dispersion agents was evaluated by varying the content of silica from 50 to 120 phr. Bis-[(triethoxysilyl)propyl] tetrasulfide (TESPT) and zinc 2-ethylhexanoate (ZEH) were used as the coupling and dispersion agents, respectively. The maximum silica content in the pristine material was 80 phr, which increased to 120 phr upon the addition of TESPT and ZEH. The incorporation of TESPT considerably improved most of the rubber properties due to its coupling action and the suppression of silica flocculation, while further addition of ZEH resulted in additional improvements. The properties of the rubber compounds with different silica contents can be fully explained either by an enhancement of the rubber-silica interactions or by their deterioration due to an excessive amount of silica aggregates.

Recently, microwaves have been used for desulfurization because they can selectively dissociate C-S and S- S bonds present in vulcanized rubber. In this study, we investigated the changes in structural and physical properties of EPDM (Ethylene propylene diene monomer) rubber by irradiating it with microwaves for different durations. The surface chemical composition of the irradiated EPDM rubber was analyzed by FT-IR, XPS, and EDS analyses. It was confirmed by XPS that C-S and S-S S2p peak heights greatly decreased when microwave irradiation was performed for more than 5 min. In the EPDM sample irradiated with microwaves for 10 min, the number of S-O bonds significantly increased owing to oxidation. As the microwave irradiation time was increased, SEM images showed cracks and voids on the EPDM surface. The 20% decomposition temperature of the EPDM rubber sample was investigated by TGA, and it was found to be about 435.23°C for the EPDM rubber irradiated for 10 min. The crosslinking density of the EPDM rubber was determined by measuring the degree of swelling, and the highest value was observed for the E5 sample irradiated for 5 min. The degree of swelling of the E10 sample irradiated for 10 min was lower than that of the E5 sample. These results indicate that when irradiated with microwaves for more than a certain time, desulfurization occurs and the side chain of the EPDM rubber dissociates and forms additional crosslinking bonds.

This study was aimed at improving the white index (WI) to prepare thermally expandable microspheres for wallpaper. In particular, thermally expandable microspheres were prepared for different colloidal silica particle sizes to study thermal properties, foaming ratio, and WI. The spheres obtained from tiny colloidal silica were the best in terms of WI and yellowing. Additionally, thermogravimetric analysis results show that small colloidal silica particles are more likely to be adsorbed physically or chemically to the microsphere surface, thereby improving WI at higher temperatures.

In this study, research was conducted into the manufacture of thermally expandable microspheres for automotive underbody coatings and applications in industry. In particular, the relationship between heat resistance and the ratio of crosslinking agents and initiators in the manufacture of the thermally expandable microspheres was investigated. We focused on the results with various cross-linking agents; our aim was to make the walls of the microspheres thicker to solve the problem of reductions in size caused by shrinkage when the microspheres are heated to T m (T max). We observed the sectional thickness and surface of the samples with thicker walls. The thick thermally expandable microspheres showed reduced shrinkage and excellent stability in spite of prolonged exposure to heat.

A series of aromatic poly(o-hydroxyamide)s (PHAs) were synthesized by the direct polycondensation reaction of 4,4′-(2,3-quinoxalinedioxy) dibenzoic acid and/or 4,4′-(2,3-pyridinedioxy) dibenzoic acid with bis(o-aminophenol) including 2,2-bis-(amino-4-hydroxyphenyl)hexafluoropropane. The PHAs exhibited inherent viscosities in the range of 0.17-0.35 dL/g at 35°C in a DMAc solution. These polymers showed low inherent viscosities and yielded brittle films. All the PHAs showed excellent solubility in aprotic solvents such as DMAc, DMSO, NMP, and DMF at room temperature and in less polar solvents such as pyridine and THF. However, all the PBOs were only partially soluble in H2SO4. The PBOs exhibited 10% weight loss at temperatures in the range of 537-551°C. The maximum weight loss temperature increased with an increase in the content of the quinoxaline-containing monomer. The residue of the PBOs showed a weight loss of 45.8- 56.7% at 900°C in a nitrogen atmosphere.

Fatigue properties of rubber are one of the most important characteristics in the rubber industry. In this study, the fatigue properties of MREs (magneto-rheological elastomers) based on NR (natural rubber), EPDM (ethylene-propylene diene monomer), and AEM (ethylene/acrylic elastomer) were investigated. For comparison, MREs with a Shore hardness of 60A were prepared. According to the relative results, the fatigue properties of EPDM MRE were the worst. Thus, we investigated methods to improve the fatigue properties of EPDM MRE by varying the carbon black content and curing systems of EPDM as the matrix of the MRE. Dynamic properties were measured using a fatigue tester and an RPA (rubber process analyzer), and the XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) was used to analyze the curing system of the EPDM matrix. According to the results, the Payne effect increased and the fatigue resistance decreased as the carbon black content increased. In case of the curing system, the CV (conventional vulcanization) system was superior to the EV (efficient vulcanization) system in terms of the fatigue resistance. This was because the number of flexible bonds in the case of the CV system was higher than that in the case of the EV system. However, the EV system showed excellent mechanical properties because it had many monosulfidic bonds with strong binding energy.

In this study, in-situ trans-selective polymerization of isoprene was carried out using titanium-based Ziegler- Natta catalysts. The catalysts were prepared by high-energy ball milling. Individually Large-inner-diameter carbon nanotubes (CNTL), and hydroxylated carbon nanotubes (CNTOH), along with magnesium chloride (MgCl2) were used as the carriers for the catalysts. The optimum ball-milling time for preparing the CNT/MgCl2/TiCl4 Ziegler-Natta catalysts was 4 h. The CNTOH/MgCl2/TiCl4 catalyst showed a higher efficiency than that of the CNTL/MgCl2/TiCl4 catalyst, based on the rate of polymerization. The effects of the CNT-filler type on the isoprene polymerization behaviors and polymer properties were investigated. The morphologies of the trans-1,4-polyisoprene (TPI)/CNT and TPI/CNTOH nanocomposites exhibited a tube-like shape, and the CNTL and CNTOH fillers were well dispersed in the TPI matrix. In addition, the thermal stability of TPI significantly increased upon the introduction of a small amount of both CNTL/CNTOH fillers (0.15 wt%), owing to the satisfactory dispersion of the CNTL/CNTOH in the TPI matrix.

Natural rubber (NR) and bromo-isobutylene-isoprene rubber (BIIR) were compounded with other formulation chemicals through polymer blending via a mechanical mixing method. After rubber vulcanization by hot-press compression molding, the cure characteristics, mechanical properties, and ozone resistance of the NR/BIIR blends were measured. As the BIIR content increased, the maximum torque of the blends decreased, while the optimum cure time and scorch time tended to increase. Furthermore, the hardness of the blends increased with increasing BIIR content, reaching the maximum value at 75 wt% BIIR, and decreased with a further increase in the BIIR loading. The tensile strength and elongation at break decreased with an increase in the BIIR content, reaching the minimum value at 75 wt% BIIR, and increased with a further increase in the BIIR content. In the ozone resistance test, cracks were not generated when the BIIR content was more than 75 wt%.

Solution-styrene-butadiene rubber (SSBR) composites were manufactured using four kinds of fillers: silicasilane coated carbon black (SC-CB) hybrid, starch-SC-CB hybrid, pure silica, and pure starch. The influence of filler type on the mechanical properties of the rubber matrix was studied in this work. SC-CB was prepared by silane-graft-coating using vinyl triethoxy silane and carbon black, which enhanced the dispersion effect between the rubber matrix and the filler, and improved the mechanical properties of the compounds. The morphology of the composites was observed by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The thermal decomposition behavior of the composites was determined by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and the crosslinking behavior of the composites was tested using a rubber process analyzer (RPA). The hardness, tensile strength, swelling ratio, and gas transmittance rate of the composites were evaluated according to ASTM. The test results revealed that with the addition of SC-CB, the hybrid fillers, especially those blended with silica, showed a better reinforcement effect, the highest hardness and tensile strength, and stable thermal decomposition behavior. This implies that the silica-SC-CB hybrid filler has a notable mechanical reinforcement effect on the SSBR matrix. Because of self-crosslinking during its synthesis, the starch-SC-CB hybrid filler produced the most dense matrix, which improved the anti-gas transmittance property. The composites with the hybrid fillers had better anti-swelling properties as compared to the neat SSBR composite, which was due to the hydrophilicity of silica and starch.