Analysis of Cured, Filled Elastomeric Compounds by 13C NMR

Abstract

Abstract This paper has discussed the study of cured, filled elastomers by a newly developed 13C NMR method. This method overcomes many of the shortcomings of other methods in that the 13C method is capable of distinguishing nonstandard or experimental polymeric components in an elastomeric blend, a definite advantage for the analyst. Other advantages are that the 13C data are primary, i.e., compositional calibration standards are not necessary once a polymer's 13C carbon resonances have been assigned; the data are accurate and reproducible; the filler (carbon black, TiO2, glass fibers) does not have to be removed prior to the analysis; and, the method is sensitive to low levels of polymer concentration. The superiority of 13C quantitative data over IR data has been demonstrated. Practical examples including nonstandard and/or unique elastomeric components have been discussed.