THERMAL-ANALYSIS ON INFLUENCE OF COMPATIBILIZING AGENTS - EFFECT OF VULCANIZATION OF INCOMPATIBLE ELASTOMER BLEND

Studies have been made on differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), the rmogravimetric analysis (TG) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) of binary blends of isobutylene-isoprene (IIR) copolymer and polychloropr ene (CR) elastomers. Blends of IIR and CR are incompatible and showed separate T-g peaks in DSC curves similar to Tans peaks. However, addit ion of chlorinated polyethylene (CM) elastomer, as compatibilizer, imp arts miscibility between IIR and CR which could be judged both through DSC as well as by dynamic loss measurements (Loss modulus E '' and Ta n delta). The storage modulus (E') showed variation of stiffness due r o structural changes associated with the addition of compatibilizer. T G plots for these blends showed improvement of thermal stability both by addition of a suitable compatibilizer as well as due to formation o f crosslinked structures associated with the vulcanization of the blen ds by standard curative package.