A covalent adaptable network based on the thermoreversible cross-linking of an ethylene–propylene rubber through Diels–Alder (DA) reaction was prepared for the first time through melt blending as an environmental-friendly alternative to traditional synthesis in organic solvents. Functionalization of the rubber with furan groups was performed in a melt blender and subsequently mixed with different amounts of bismaleimide in a microextruder. Cross-linking was confirmed by FT-IR spectroscopy and insolubility at room temperature, while its thermoreversible character was confirmed by a solubility test at 110 °C and by remolding via hot-pressing. Mechanical and thermomechanical properties of the obtained rubbers showed potential to compete with conventionally cross-linked elastomers, with stiffness in the range 1–1.7 MPa and strain at break in the range 200–500%, while allowing recycling via a simple melt processing step. Nanocomposites based on the thermoreversible rubber were prepared with reduced graphene oxide (rGO), showing significantly increasing stiffness up to ca. 8 MPa, ∼2-fold increased strength, and thermal conductivity up to ∼0.5 W/(m K). Results in this paper may open for industrially viable and sustainable applications of thermoreversible elastomers.

Thermoreversible Cross-Linked Rubber Prepared via Melt Blending and Its Nanocomposites / Cantamessa, Francesco; Damonte, Giacomo; Monticelli, Orietta; Arrigo, Rossella; Fina, Alberto. - In: ACS APPLIED POLYMER MATERIALS. - ISSN 2637-6105. - ELETTRONICO. - 4:(2022), pp. 4796-4807. [10.1021/acsapm.2c00416]

Thermoreversible Cross-Linked Rubber Prepared via Melt Blending and Its Nanocomposites

Cantamessa, Francesco;Arrigo, Rossella;Fina, Alberto
2022

Abstract

A covalent adaptable network based on the thermoreversible cross-linking of an ethylene–propylene rubber through Diels–Alder (DA) reaction was prepared for the first time through melt blending as an environmental-friendly alternative to traditional synthesis in organic solvents. Functionalization of the rubber with furan groups was performed in a melt blender and subsequently mixed with different amounts of bismaleimide in a microextruder. Cross-linking was confirmed by FT-IR spectroscopy and insolubility at room temperature, while its thermoreversible character was confirmed by a solubility test at 110 °C and by remolding via hot-pressing. Mechanical and thermomechanical properties of the obtained rubbers showed potential to compete with conventionally cross-linked elastomers, with stiffness in the range 1–1.7 MPa and strain at break in the range 200–500%, while allowing recycling via a simple melt processing step. Nanocomposites based on the thermoreversible rubber were prepared with reduced graphene oxide (rGO), showing significantly increasing stiffness up to ca. 8 MPa, ∼2-fold increased strength, and thermal conductivity up to ∼0.5 W/(m K). Results in this paper may open for industrially viable and sustainable applications of thermoreversible elastomers.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11583/2970096