Rubber particles, degree

The cDNAs of the cA-prenyltransferase of H. brasiliensis was successfully identified and expressed in E. coli. The in vitro polymerization of IPP after initiation with FPP using the expressed c/x-prenyltransferase resulted in low degrees of polymerization [267, 268]. After addition of rubber particles to this polymerization, the molecular weight increased tremendously [269], It can be concluded that the rubber particles are essential for rubber biosynthesis. Katarina Cornish established a detailed structural model of the in vivo synthesis of natural rubber in the rubber particle monolayer membrane and partially explained this behavior (see Fig. 12) [251],... 

Microstructure-property correlations in dynamically vulcanized thermoplastic elastomers based on polypropylene (PP)/EPDM have shown that clay was nearly exfoliated and randomly distributed into the continuous polypropylene phase [23]. SEM photomicrographs revealed that the size of rubber particles increased with clay incorporation. Also, the clay layers act as nucleating agents, resulting in higher crystallization temperature and reduced degree of crystallinity. 

If the adhesion is low, debonding at the rubber particle matrix interface can occur. In both cases voids are formed and this reduces the degree of stress triaxiality in the surrounding matrix and favors the further growth of shear bands. 

Figure 10. Degree of rubber particle dispersion vs. ballistic impact...

The morphology of the rubber-modified polystyrenes system involves some complex aspects, such as particle size, size distribution, occlusions of polystyrene inside the rubber phase, interfacial bonding between the rubbery particles and the brittle matrix, etc. Many authors have observed that some of the most important factors in controlling the mechanical properties of HIPS and ABS are rubber particle size [49], volume fraction of the rubbery phase (rubber + occluded polystyrene) [50,51] and the degree of graft [52]. Grafting occurs during the polymerization of styrene when some of the free radicals react with the rubber... 

It is very difficult to analyze experimentally the degree of polystyrene chain grafting to rubber because of the difficulty of separating the grafted copolymer from unreacted rubber and polystyrene occluded by rubber particles. 

There is experimental evidence, for many rubber-toughened polymers, that the rubber particles cavitate early in the deformation. The degree of cross-linking is kept relatively low in the polybutadiene phase of ABS to aid cavitation, and sometimes silicone oil is added for the same reason. Figure 4.12 shows both the conventional stress-strain curve and the volumetric strain versus tensile strain for rubber-modified polystyrene. When the polystyrene yields, the volume strain increases at a higher rate. Majority of the dilatational strain is due to cavitation in the rubber phase. 

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