Rubber compounds complex polymer systems

Despite their invaluable merits, the tools and concepts of the theory of linear viscoelastic must be used with care when addressing complex polymer systems such as rubber compounds. Careful and reproducible measurements of the various material functions remain thus an essential step in the science and industry of real polymers. The objectives of this chapter are (1) to review a few material functions for rubber systems, (2) to describe how they can be experimentally assessed and (3) to demonstrate a few mathematically simple but multiparametric models that can successfully account for the measured quantities. 

In principle, any type of sample can be analysed by SEC provided that it can be solubilised and that there are no enthalpic interactions between sample and packing material. By definition then, this technique cannot be carried out on vulcanisates and even unvulcanised fully compounded rubber samples can present problems due to filler-rubber interactions. The primary use of SEC is to determine the whole MWD of polymers and the various averages (number, viscosity, weight, z-average) based on a calibration curve and to allow qualitative comparisons of different samples. Many commercial polymers have a broad MWD leading to strong peak overlap in the chromatography of complex multicomponent systems. 

Gel-immobilized catalytic systems (GCS) represent swelled polymer composites in which active sites of the particular metal complex are inunobilized. Graft copolymers of ethylene-propylene rubber (EPRu) and ligands of 4-vinylpyridine, acrylic acid, vinylpyrrolidone, organophosphorus compounds etc. act as a polymeric supports (polymeric phases) [140]. The structure of metal complex sites immobilized in a polymer gel is presented by the following scheme ... 

Whilst many of these areas fall outside the scope of this chapter, particulate polymer composites are becoming increasingly complex and commonly require more than just inclusion of a filler or particle additive in order to achieve optimum properties. For example, rubber modification of mineral-filled thermoplastics to yield a balance of enhanced toughness and stiffness, is an area of commercial importance. In these ternary-phase systems, there is not only a requirement to attain good dispersion of the filler component, but also a need for breakdown of the rubbery inclusion to yield the most effective size and spatial location within the composition. Whilst this may depend to a large extent on characteristics of the material s formulation, it can also be influenced by the material s compounding route. 

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