Peroxide Curing of Ethylene-Propylene Elastomers

Abstract

Abstract 1. Ethylene-propylene elastomers, suitably compounded for extrusion applications, can be readily vulcanized with organic peroxides to meet emerging requirements of improved performance and longer service life. 2. Aralkyl or dialkyl classes of peroxides produce the preferred cure performance, highest physical properties, and lowest compression set. Choice of peroxide governs rate of cure but not necessarily the optimum in crosslinking efficiency. 3. Coagents are essential to the development of optimum cure and stress-strain properties. The bis-maleimide is very effective in compounds that contain significant quantities of process oil, antioxidants for increased heat resistance, or other materials that consume free-radicals. 4. Ethylene-propylene compositional parameters influencing vulcanization activity are the diene, both type and concentration, and the ethylene content. Reactivity of the terpolymers is dependent on the type and amount of diene utilized in the polymer synthesis. High ethylene content improves crosslinking efficiency because there are fewer propylene sequences where chain scission can occur. 5. Increasing levels of hydrocarbon process oil needed in fast extruding compounds require higher peroxide concentrations to maintain cure and stress-strain properties.