Studies into the Chemistry of Rubber Crosslinking

The technology of sulfur vulcanisation of unsaturated elastomers has evolved since Goodyear s invention in 1839. Scientific studies into the chemistry of sulfur vulcanisation started to appear in the late 1950s (for reviews see References [14-18]). Two experimental approaches can be distinguished the analysis of rubber vulcanisates themselves and the so-called low-molecular-weight model studies. 

Therefore most progress towards the understanding of sulfur-vulcanisation chemistry was originally made by vulcanising low-molecular-weight model olefins. Numerous 

Over the last decade the development of advanced analytical techniques, such as Fourier transform (FT) Raman and solid-state NMR spectroscopy, have been impressive, resulting in a great deal of progress in the field of the sulfur vulcanisation of unsaturated elastomers [22-25]. 

In general, most of the problems encountered in the study of the chemistry of the sulfur vulcanisation of elastomers are also encountered in the study of peroxide-curing. In comparison with sulfur vulcanisation only a limited number of spectroscopic studies on peroxide-curing have been published. 

---