A Peroxide Curing Butyl Rubber

Abstract

Abstract The reactions of peroxides with polymers have been studied for some time. They form an extensive part of vulcanization technology. Two types of reactions are generally recognized, those leading to crosslinking between polymer chains and those leading to scission of the chains. Natural rubber, polybutadiene and ethylene-propylene rubber are examples of polymers in which crosslinking reactions take place to a greater extent than reactions leading to chain scission and these polymer reactions with peroxides form a useful method of vulcanization. On the other hand, polyisobutene is an example of a polymer which degrades extensively and for polyisobutene and butyl rubber, peroxides have not found use as cross-linking agents.