EFFECT OF BROMINATION OM EPDM CURING BEHAVIOR AND ITS TENSILE PROPERTIES

Ethylene propylene diene rubber (EPDM) was brominated. The curing beha vior and tensile properties of the brominated EPDM (BEPDM) were invest igated using a typical sulfur curing formulation, The brominated EPDM was observed to cure with a shorter cure induction time than the unbro minated one, The activation energies (E(a)) of curing for EPDM and bro minated EPDM were found to be approximately 145 kJ/mol and 58 kJ/mol, respectively. Analysis of curing behavior with individual curatives an d stress-strain measurements indicates that these significant improvem ents could be attributed to the role of bromine as a more efficient cr osslinking site, forming C-O-C crosslinks. In addition, the bromine al so seems to increase the solubility of sulfur in the rubber, promoting sulfur crosslinks which are apparently not observed with the unbromin ated EPDM, Consequently, the BEPDM displayed significantly higher tens ile strength than the unbrominated one.