Facile preparation of thermoplastic elastomer with high service temperature from dry selective curing of compatibilized EPDM/polyamide-12 blends

Abstract

A facile preparation of thernioplastic elastomer (TPE) from simple polymer blends, elastically reinforced through a dry curing process, is introduced in this study. A TPE with a high service temperature of up to similar to 180 degrees C is prepared by riielt mixing ethylene-propylene-diene rubber (EPDM) with polyamide-12 in the presence Of maleated EPDM as a compatibilizer. A dry curing process employing electron beam (e-beam) irradiation is then applied for the selective cross-linking of the EPDM components, which is confirmed by the gel content and differential scanning calorimetry measurements. The mechanical and elastic properties of the TPE are improved by the e-beam irradiation, as evidenced by the measurements of tensile strength, elongation at break, Young's modulus and tension set, affording a tough TPE. Repeated thermal recycling of the TPE demonstrates an excellent reprocessing capability, affording environmentally friendly TPEs using commercially available resources. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.