• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.76-84
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• 2013

The term 'Piezoresistive effect' describes a change in the electrical resistance of the material from deformed to its original shape by the external pressure, e.g., elongation, compression, etc. This phenomenon has various applications of sensors for monitoring pressure, vibration, and acceleration. Although there are many materials which have the piezoresistive effect, rubber (nano)composites with conductive fillers have attracted a great deal of attention because the piezoresistive effect appears at the various range of pressure by controlling the type of filler, particle size, particle shape, aspect ratio of particles, and filler content. Especially one can obtain the composites with elasticity and flexibility by using the rubber as a matrix. This paper aims to review the piezoresistive effect itself, their basic principles, and the various conductive rubber-composites with piezoresistive effect.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.46-54
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• 2013

A new terpolymer, styrene-butadiene-benzyl methacrylate copolymer (BzMA-SBR) was synthesized by emulsion polymerization. After polymerization, XSBR ionomer was prepared by deprotection of benzyl group of BzMA through hydrolysis with NaOH. Carboxyl group contents can be controlled by changing the initial feed contents of BzMA. Structure of BzMA-SBR and XSBR were characterized by FTIR, $^1H$ NMR and DSC.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.30-38
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• 2013

Polyolefin is one of the most important commodity polymers having excellent physical properties and cost competitiveness, which has continuously broadened their market in response to a heavy demand from industry. However, the lack of polarity in polyolefin has limited its applications, especially where interactions with other materials are important. In view of the above, the incorporation of polar functional groups in polyolefin has been widely attempted. Especially, the preparations of segmented modified polyolefin copolymers, such as block and graft copolymers have been extensively investigated, since the loss of the original properties of polyolefin can be minimized while the polar segments can endow interactions with other materials. Living radical polymerization (LRP) method can be one of the most attractive synthetic tools for the preparation of the modified polyolefin block or graft copolymers. In this review, progress on the preparation of the polyolefin based block or graft copolymers through LRP technique is briefly summarized.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.345-350
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• 2019

In this study, aliphatic polyketone (PK)/chopped carbon fiber (CCF) composites with various CCF contents were prepared using a modular intermeshing co-rotating twin screw extruder, and their mechanical and thermal properties such as tensile, flexural, and impact strength and thermal conductivity were investigated. The amount of CCF was increased from 0 to 50 wt%. The tensile and flexural strength of the PK/CCF composites increased as the CCF content increased, but the elongation at break and impact strength was lower than that of pure PK. Thermal properties such as heat distortion temperature and thermal conductivity increased as the CCF content increased. Morphological observations revealed that fiber orientation and interface adhesion between the PK and the CCF in the PK/CCF composites were formed due to the twin screw extrusion, which contributed to improving the mechanical and thermal properties of the composites.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.359-367
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• 2019

Poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) hydrogels modified with various co-monomers, such as N-vinyl pyrrolidone (NVP), glycidyl methacrylate (GMA), and glycerol monomethacrylate (GMMA), were prepared to investigate the effect of adding a co-monomer on the water contents, surface wettability, and tensile modulus. These polymers were synthesized by thermal- and photo-polymerization in the presence of azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) and diphenyl(2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl)-phosphineoxide (TPO) as the initiators. The characteristics of the hydrogels were analyzed via FTIR and UV/Vis spectroscopies, contact angle measurements, and tensile modulus measurements with UTM. Regarding the properties of water in the hydrogels, the ratio between free to bound water was investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The effects of adding the co-monomers on the water content, surface wettability, and tensile modulus for soft contact lenses were also investigated. In the case of p(HEMA-co-NVP) hydrogels, the increase in the equilibrium water content (EWC) was primarily due to the increase in the bound water content. For p(HEMA-co-GMMA) hydrogels, an increase in free water content was the main reason for the increased EWC. In contrast, in the case of p(HEMA-co-GMA) hydrogels, a decrease in bound water content was observed to be the main factor that reduced the EWC. Photo-polymerized PHEMA hydrogels showed enhanced surface wettability and tensile modulus as compared to those produced via thermal polymerization.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.158-167
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• 2018

In this study, in-situ trans-selective polymerization of isoprene was carried out using titanium-based Ziegler-Natta catalysts. The catalysts were prepared by high-energy ball milling. Individually Large-inner-diameter carbon nanotubes (CNTL), and hydroxylated carbon nanotubes (CNTOH), along with magnesium chloride ($MgCl_2$) were used as the carriers for the catalysts. The optimum ball-milling time for preparing the $CNT/MgCl_2/TiCl_4$ Ziegler-Natta catalysts was 4 h. The $CNTOH/MgCl_2/TiCl_4$ catalyst showed a higher efficiency than that of the $CNTL/MgCl_2/TiCl_4$ catalyst, based on the rate of polymerization. The effects of the CNT-filler type on the isoprene polymerization behaviors and polymer properties were investigated. The morphologies of the trans-1,4-polyisoprene (TPI)/CNT and TPI/CNTOH nanocomposites exhibited a tube-like shape, and the CNTL and CNTOH fillers were well dispersed in the TPI matrix. In addition, the thermal stability of TPI significantly increased upon the introduction of a small amount of both CNTL/CNTOH fillers (0.15 wt%), owing to the satisfactory dispersion of the CNTL/CNTOH in the TPI matrix.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.124-130
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• 2018

Recently, microwaves have been used for desulfurization because they can selectively dissociate C-S and S-S bonds present in vulcanized rubber. In this study, we investigated the changes in structural and physical properties of EPDM (Ethylene propylene diene monomer) rubber by irradiating it with microwaves for different durations. The surface chemical composition of the irradiated EPDM rubber was analyzed by FT-IR, XPS, and EDS analyses. It was confirmed by XPS that C-S and S-S S2p peak heights greatly decreased when microwave irradiation was performed for more than 5 min. In the EPDM sample irradiated with microwaves for 10 min, the number of S-O bonds significantly increased owing to oxidation. As the microwave irradiation time was increased, SEM images showed cracks and voids on the EPDM surface. The 20% decomposition temperature of the EPDM rubber sample was investigated by TGA, and it was found to be about $435.23^{\circ}C$ for the EPDM rubber irradiated for 10 min. The crosslinking density of the EPDM rubber was determined by measuring the degree of swelling, and the highest value was observed for the E5 sample irradiated for 5 min. The degree of swelling of the E10 sample irradiated for 10 min was lower than that of the E5 sample. These results indicate that when irradiated with microwaves for more than a certain time, desulfurization occurs and the side chain of the EPDM rubber dissociates and forms additional crosslinking bonds.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.175-180
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• 2018

Solution-styrene-butadiene rubber (SSBR) composites were manufactured using four kinds of fillers: silica-silane coated carbon black (SC-CB) hybrid, starch-SC-CB hybrid, pure silica, and pure starch. The influence of filler type on the mechanical properties of the rubber matrix was studied in this work. SC-CB was prepared by silane-graft-coating using vinyl triethoxy silane and carbon black, which enhanced the dispersion effect between the rubber matrix and the filler, and improved the mechanical properties of the compounds. The morphology of the composites was observed by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The thermal decomposition behavior of the composites was determined by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and the crosslinking behavior of the composites was tested using a rubber process analyzer (RPA). The hardness, tensile strength, swelling ratio, and gas transmittance rate of the composites were evaluated according to ASTM. The test results revealed that with the addition of SC-CB, the hybrid fillers, especially those blended with silica, showed a better reinforcement effect, the highest hardness and tensile strength, and stable thermal decomposition behavior. This implies that the silica-SC-CB hybrid filler has a notable mechanical reinforcement effect on the SSBR matrix. Because of self-crosslinking during its synthesis, the starch-SC-CB hybrid filler produced the most dense matrix, which improved the anti-gas transmittance property. The composites with the hybrid fillers had better anti-swelling properties as compared to the neat SSBR composite, which was due to the hydrophilicity of silica and starch.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.26-39
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• 2020

The physical properties of silica-filled SBR compounds (WSBR) prepared using silica-SBR wet masterbatches (WMB) were systematically investigated to understand the effect of the surface treatment of silica on the reinforcement performance of SBR. Treatment of silica with bis(triethoxysilylpropyl)tetrasulfide (TESPT) in the liquid phase, followed by mixing with an SBR solution and recovery by water stripping, easily produced silica-SBR WMB. However, insufficient surface treatment in terms of the amount and stability of the incorporated TESPT led to considerable silica loss and inevitable TESPT elution. Pretreatment of silica in the gas phase with TESPT and another organic material that enabled the formation of organic networks among the silica particles on the surface provided hydrophobated silica, which could be used to produce silica-SBR WMB, in high yields of above 99%. The amount and type of organic material incorporated into silica greatly influenced the cure characteristics, processability, and tensile and dynamic properties of the WSBR compounds. The TESPT and organic material stably incorporated into silica increased their viscosity, while the organic networks dispersed on the silica surface were highly beneficial for reducing their rolling resistance. Excessive dosing of TESTP induced low viscosity and a high modulus. The presence of connection bonds formed by the reaction of glycidyloxy groups with amine groups on the silica surface resulted in physical entanglement of the rubber chains with the bonds in the WSBR compounds, leading to low rolling resistance without sacrificing the mechanical properties. Mixing of the hydrophobated silica with a rubber solution in the liquid phase improved the silica dispersion of WSBR compounds, as confirmed by their low Payne effect, and preservation of the low modulus enhanced the degree of entanglement.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.51-58
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• 2020

In this study, the thermal oxidation of raw natural rubber (NR) was investigated under controlled conditions by optical image and fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) analysis. The thermal oxidation was performed on a transparent thin film of raw NR coated on a KBr window in a dark chamber at 80℃ under low humidity conditions to completely exclude moisture and restrict light oxidation. Images of the thin film of raw NR were obtained before and after thermal oxidation. FT-IR absorption spectra were measured in the transmission mode at different thermal exposure times. The thermal oxidation of NR was examined by the changes in the absorption peaks at 3449, 1736, 1447, 1377, 1242, 1072, and 833 cm^-1, which corresponded to a hydroxyl group (-OH), a carbonyl group (-C=O) from an aldehyde and a ketone, a methylene group (-CH₂-), a methyl group (-CH₃), a carbon-oxygen single bond (-C-O) from an epoxide, a carbon-oxygen bond (-C-O) from an ether, an alcohol, a peroxide, or a cyclic peroxide, and a cis-methine group (cis-CCH₃=CH-), respectively. In the initial stage of thermal oxidation, two different types of free radicals were produced quickly and randomly by the homolytic cleavage of a double bond and allylic hydrogen abstraction. Aldehydes and ketones were formed from chain scissions of the double bonds and alcohols were produced from allylic hydrogen abstraction at the methylene or methyl groups. Two reactions seemed to proceed competitively with each other. At a later stage, oxidative crosslinks seemed to dominate through the combination of free radicals such as an allyl radical (CH=CHCH₂·), alkoxy radical (RO·), and peroxy radical (ROO·) and the reaction of a hydroperoxide (-ROOH) with a double bond. The image obtained after thermal oxidation showed hardening without cracks. Based on these observations, a plausible two-step mechanism was suggested for chain hardening caused by the thermal oxidation.