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Epoxidation Functionalized Isobutylene Isoprene Rubber toward Green-curing Pathway and High-performance Composites

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Abstract

Epoxidation of the carbon-carbon double bonds on unsaturated rubber macromolecules can produce novel modified rubber species with special properties, and construct eco-friendly crosslinking pathway via the reaction of epoxide groups to solve the problems brought by conventional sulfur vulcanization system. In this contribution, a novel modified product of isobutylene isoprene rubber (IIR), epoxy-functionalized IIR (EIIR) was successfully prepared by in situ epoxidation technique for the first time, and the crosslinking of EIIR was achieved by the reaction of oxirane groups with maleic anhydride (MAH) without additional additives. The reaction conditions for preparing EIIR were optimized through systematic research on the epoxidation process. Under optimal condition, the degree of epoxidation of the rubber reached around 99% without side reactions. The obtained EIIR/carbon black composites cured by MAH had excellent mechanical properties comparable to those of IIR composites. More importantly, compared with IIR composites, the air-tightness of the EIIR composites was improved by about 50%, and the flexural fatigue life of first-level cracks and sixth-level cracks was increased by several times. The significant improvement of these properties is of great significance for the application safety and energy saving of IIR materials.

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Acknowledgments

This work was financially supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China, the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 2022YFB3704800, 2022YFB3704802 and 52273051) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (No. JD2221).

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  1. These authors contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Beijing City on Preparation and Processing of Novel Polymer Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China

    Han Gao, Bai-Chuan Cui, Yan Shi & Li-Qun Zhang

  2. Shandong Chambroad Sinopoly New Materials Co., Ltd., Shandong, 256600, China

    Hong-Bing Zheng & Fu-Lan Hao

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  1. Han Gao
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  2. Bai-Chuan Cui
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Correspondence to Yan Shi or Li-Qun Zhang.

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Gao, H., Cui, BC., Zheng, HB. et al. Epoxidation Functionalized Isobutylene Isoprene Rubber toward Green-curing Pathway and High-performance Composites. Chin J Polym Sci 41, 1818–1828 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10118-023-2986-3

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