PROPERTIES OF HYBRID MATERIALS INCORPORATING TETRABUTYL TITANATE AND TETRAETHOXYSILANE WITH ETHYLENE-PROPYLENE NONCONJUGATED DIENE TERPOLYMER (EPDM-ENB) VIA SOL-GEL PROCESS

New flexible hybrid materials had been synthesized successfully by inc orporating ethylene-propylene nonconjugated diene terpolymer (EPDM-ENB ), which had been functionalized with S-aminopropyl trimethoxysilane ( APS), with highly reactive tetrabutyl titanate and tetraethoxysilane. The materials with low inorganic content displayed high transparency d ue to the formation of covalent bonds between the polymer chains and t he inorganic network in the hybrids. The titanium systems were found t o be more compatible than the corresponding silica hybrid materials of equal alkoxide content. As the inorganic content increased, the dynam ic tensile modulus of the hybrid showed significant improvement over p ure EPDM-ENB in the region above T-g of EPDM-ENB. For the EPDM-ENB/TiO 2 hybrids, when the total metal alkoxide content is fixed, the propert ies of the hybrids were not affected by partial replacement of tetrabu tyl titanate with tetraethoxysilane. (C) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.