Characterisation elastomers

Sepe MR Use of thermal analysis in polymer characterisation. Elastomer Technology Handbook. Boca Raton, FL CRC Press, 1993 pp. 105-258. 

Py-GC-MS has been used to characterise elastomers including natural rubber, butyl rubber, polychloroprene and acrylonitrile-butadiene copolymer [91]. Other copolymers that have been investigated include 1-octene-l-decene-l-dodecane terpolymer [92], acrylic-acid methacrylic acid [39],styrene-butadiene[93-95],styrene-isoprene [54], ethylene-vinyl acetate [96], polyisopropenyl cyclohexane - -methyl styrene [57], vinyl pyrrolidine- methacryloxysilicone [97], ethylene-carbon monoxide [98], acrylic copolymers [99], 1-vinyl-2-pyrrolidine - l-vinyl-3-methylimidoazolium chloride [100], acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene [101], acetone-furfural [102] and styrene-acrylonitrile [103]. 

Polyurethanes. This material is available in three forms - rigid foam, flexible foam and elastomer. They are characterised by high strength and good chemical and abrasion resistance. The rigid foam is widely used as an insulation material, the flexible foam is an excellent cushion material for furniture and the elastomeric material is used in solid tyres and shock absorbers. 

Carpi, F., Chiarelli, P., Mazzoldi, A., and De Rossi, D., Electromechanical characterisation of dielectric elastomer planar actuators Comparative evaluation of different electrode materials and different counterloads, Sensors Actuators, A107, 85, 2003. 

Characterisation of Elastomers Using (Multi) Hyphenated Thermogravimetric Analysis Techniques... 

The thermal characterisation of elastomers has recently been reviewed by Sircar [28] from which it appears that DSC followed by TG/DTG are the most popular thermal analysis techniques for elastomer applications. The TG/differential thermal gravimetry (DTG) method remains the method of choice for compositional analysis of uncured and cured elastomer compounds. Sircar s comprehensive review [28] was based on single thermal methods (TG, DSC, differential thermal analysis (DTA), thermomechanical analysis (TMA), DMA) and excluded combined (TG-DSC, TG-DTA) and simultaneous (TG-fourier transform infrared (TG-FTIR), TG-mass spectroscopy (TG-MS)) techniques. In this chapter the emphasis is on those multiple and hyphenated thermogravimetric analysis techniques which have had an impact on the characterisation of elastomers. The review is based mainly on Chemical Abstracts records corresponding to the keywords elastomers, thermogravimetry, differential scanning calorimetry, differential thermal analysis, infrared and mass spectrometry over the period 1979-1999. Table 1.1 contains the references to the various combined techniques. 

Bart and co-workers [25] and others [34, 101, 163] have reviewed the application of TG-MS for the study of polymeric materials, thermoplastics, thermosets and elastomers. This thermoanalytical technique is used for the structural characterisation of homopolymers, copolymers, polymeric blends and composites and finds application in the detection of monomeric residuals, solvents, additives, (toxic) degradation products, etc. Information is... 

TG-MS and TG-FTIR have been used for ageing characterisation of the methylphenyl silicone elastomers GE 566 (containing ferric oxide and silica filler) and GE 567 with the... 

Future Prospects of Hyphenated Thermogravimetric Techniques in Elastomer Characterisation... 

Infrared spectroscopy is one of the most important tools used to characterise the chemical structure, composition and microstructure of different polymers [8-10]. In earlier chapters, the principles and applications of infrared (IR) spectroscopy in the characterisation of rubbers have been discussed. This chapter describes how IR spectroscopy can be used to characterise different types of chemically modified elastomers. 

The ionic aggregates present in an ionomer act as physical crosslinks and drastically change the polymer properties. The blending of two ionomers enhances the compatibility via ion-ion interaction. The compatibilisation of polymer blends by specific ion-dipole and ion-ion interactions has recently received wide attention [93-96]. FT-IR spectroscopy is a powerful technique for investigating such specific interactions [97-99] in an ionic blend made from the acid form of sulfonated polystyrene and poly[(ethyl acrylate - CO (4, vinyl pyridine)]. Datta and co-workers [98] characterised blends of zinc oxide-neutralised maleated EPDM (m-EPDM) and zinc salt of an ethylene-methacrylic acid copolymer (Zn-EMA), wherein Zn-EMA content does not exceed 50% by weight. The blend behaves as an ionic thermoplastic elastomer (ITPE). Blends (Z0, Z5 and Z10) were prepared according to the following formulations [98] ... 

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