• Macromolecular Research
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.319-326
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• 2001

Fatigue crack growth (FCG) behavior of natural rubber/ethylene-propylene-diene rubber (NR/EPDM) blend vulcanizates under dynamic tearing condition was investigated by using a fracture mechanics approach. It appeared that variation of crack growth rate with blend compositions was dependent on the level of imposed tearing energy G. At low tearing energy region, the FCG rates of the blend were lower as the EPDM content was increased, while at high tearing energy region, the trend was reversed. Over the measured range of tearing energy G, all blend compositions showed the lower crack growth rates compared to the average of properties of component elastomers. When the blends were thermally aged, the fatigue resistance of the blends was deteriorated in proportion to the concentration of EPDM phase. Fatigue crack growth behavior of the blends was supposed to be associated with the inhomogeneities of the crosslink structure of the blends arising from cure incompatibility of the EPDM and NR when they are sulphur cured.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.20-31
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• 2021

There is an increasing demand for the rolling resistance reduction in truck bus radial (TBR) tires in the tire industry. In TBR tires, natural rubber is used as a base polymer to prevent wear and satisfy required physical properties (cut and chip). A binary filler system (silica and carbon black) is used to balance the durability of the tire and rolling resistance performance. In this study, natural rubber (NR) compounds applied with a binary filler system were manufactured at different cure temperatures for vulcanizate structure analysis. The vulcanizate structures were categorized into carbon black bound rubber, silica silane rubber network, and chemical crosslink density by sulfur. Regardless of the cure temperature, the cross-link density per unit content of carbon black had a greater effect on the properties than silica due to affinity with NR. The relationship analysis between the mechanical, viscoelastic properties with vulcanizate structure could be a guideline for manufacturing practical TBR compounds.

• Composites Research
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.40-47
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• 2002

The di-functional epoxy resins, i.e., diglycidylether of bisphenol A(DGEBA) and diglycidylethere of bisphenol F(DGEBF) were initiated by cationic catalyst, i.e., benzylquinoxalinium hexafluoroantimonate(BQH) using electron-beam(EB) technique. And the effect of structure of DGEBA and DGEBF on thermal stabilities and cure behaviors was investigated. According to the experimental results, the decomposed activation energy based on Horowitz-Metzger method was higher in the case of DGEBA, but intergral procedural decomposition temperature(IPDT) of DGEBA was lower than DGEBF. This could be interpreted in terms of high crosslink density resulted from hydroxyl bond of DGEBF backbone. It was confirmed in increasing the hydroxyl band at $7000\;cm^{-1}$ and $5235\;cm^{-1}$ using near-infrared spectroscopy(NIRS).

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.80-87
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• 2002

A comparative study using electron-beam(EB) and thermal curing techniques was carried out to determine the effect of cure behavior and thermal stability of epoxy resins. In this work, benzylquinoxalinium hexafluoroantimonate(BQH) was used as a latent cationic catalyst for an epoxy resin. According to the thermogravimetric analysis(TGA), the decomposed activation energy based on Coats-Redfern method was higher in the case of thermal curing technique. This could be interpreted in terms of slow thermal diffusion rate resulted from high crosslink density of the thermally cured epoxy resin. However, the increase of hydroxyl group in the epoxy resin cured by EB technique was observed in near-infrared spectroscopy(NIRS) measurements, resulting in improving the stable short aromatic chain structure, integral procedural decomposition temperature, and finally ductile properties for high impact strengths.

• Textile Coloration and Finishing
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.281-287
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• 2012

Poly(phenylene sulfide) films containing acetophenone as a photoinitiator were photocrosslinked under UV irradiation using a continuous UV irradiator. The gel fraction of the irradiated PPS in 1-Chloro naphthalene reached 94.7% with increasing UV energy and the photoinitiator concentration in the film upto $200J/cm^2$ and 12wt% respectively. Solid state $^1C$ NMR analysis suggested that the crosslinking occurred between the phenylene chains in PPS, indicating that the acetophenone may the phenylene hydrogens and subsequently adjacent polymer radicals could be recombined to form the crosslinked structure. The crosslinking improved the thermal behavior of PPS such as loss of $T_g$ and $T_c$, higher melting point and lower melting enthalphy as well as significantly higher peak pyrolysis temperature as much as $63.5^{\circ}C$. Surprisingly the tensile toughness of the most crosslinked PPS increased by 842%, resulting from the substantial enhancements in tensile modulus, strength and strain as much as 76%, 236% and 240% respectively. Also dynamic mechanical measurement indicated that the distance between crosslinks in the crosslinked PPS reached 85.3 g/mol corresponing to a crosslink density of 0.012 mol/g.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.202-206
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• 2018

Five solution styrene butadiene rubber/neodymium butadiene rubber (SSBR/NdBR) composites were manufactured using different ratios of SSBR and NdBR. In this study, the composites were reinforced with NdBR and silica to confirm the physical properties of SSBR used for treads of automobile tires and the dispersibility with silica. The morphologies of the rubber composites were observed using field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The crosslinking behaviors of the composites were tested using a rubber process analyzer (RPA), and the abrasion resistances were tested using a National Bureau of Standards (NBS) abrasion tester. The hardness values, tensile strengths, and cold resistances of the composites were also tested according to ASTM standards. Increased NdBR content yielded composites with excellent crosslinking properties, abrasion resistances, hardnesses, tensile strengths, and cold resistances. The crosslinking point increased due to the double bond in NdBR, thereby increasing the degree of crosslinking in the composites. The NdBR-reinforced composites exhibited excellent abrasion resistances, which is explained as follows. In SSBR, a breakage is permanent because a resonance structure between styrene and SSBR forms when the molecular backbone is broken during the abrasion process. However, NdBR forms an additional crosslink due to the breakdown of the molecular backbone and high reactivity of the radicals produced. In addition, the low glass transition temperature (Tg) of NdBR provided the rubber composites with excellent cold resistances.

• Textile Coloration and Finishing
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.230-237
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• 2021

The flame-retardant (FR) treatments of wool fibers using Hexafluorozirconate/titanate salts and tetrabromophthalic anhydride can cause skin irritation and gas toxicity due to Zr and Br compounds respectively. A water-soluble polyfunctional cyclophosphazene derivative, synthesized through substitution reaction of Hexachloro cyclophosphazene and N-[3-(Dimethylamino)propyl] metacrylamide, was applied as a durable flame-retardant for wool fabrics. Also, a crosslinked structure was introduced to improve washing durability of the FR-wool, up to 10 laundering cycles, using Acrylamide(AAm) and Triacryloylhexahydrotriazine (TAHT) as a comonomer and a crosslinker respectively. The mole ratios of the TAHT and AAm concentrations compared to the Dichloro tetrakis{N-[3-(Dimethylamino)propyl]methacrylamido} cyclcophosphazene (DCTDCP) were optimized to 1.33 and 7.5 respectively. In addition, the pyrolysis and combustion properties of the FR wool were assessed using LOI, TGA and microcalorimetry suggesting a solid-phase FR mechanism.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.58 no.3
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• pp.136-141
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• 2023

Polyacrylic rubber (ACM) is well known for its excellent heat resistance and chemical stability. Additionally, its performance can be readily manipulated by modifying its functional groups, rendering it highly attractive to various industries. However, extreme climate changes have necessitated an expansion of the operating temperature range and lifespan of ACM products. This requires the optimization of both the compounding process and functional-group design. Hence, we investigated the relationship between the cross-linking system and mechanical properties of an ACM with a carboxylic cure site. The crosslink density is determined by chemical kinetics according to the structure of additives, such as diamine crosslinkers and guanidine accelerators. This interaction enables the manipulation of the scotch time and mechanical properties of the compound. This fundamental study on the correlation analysis between cross-linking systems, physical properties, and storage stability can provide a foundation for material research aimed at satisfying the increasingly demanding service conditions of rubber products.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.25-32
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• 2024

Soy protein isolate (SPI) has garnered researchers' attention due to its abundance, costeffectiveness, excellent biocompatibility, hemo-compatibility, and biodegradability. However, SPI faces limitations in application due to poor processability and weak mechanical strength. Substantial efforts have been made to address these challenges. In this preliminary study, glycerol and biofibers were added to SPI to improve the mechanical properties and film forming, and glyoxal was employed to crosslink SPI molecules. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the resulting SPI/composite films were evaluated. A 15% addition of glycerol proved sufficient for good film formation. Among the biofibers, short SF microfibers were the most effective in enhancing breaking strength, while TEMPO-oxidized CNF (cellulose nanofiber) excelled among CNFs. Crosslinking with glyoxal significantly enhanced the mechanical properties, with the type of biofiber minimally affecting the mechanical properties of the crosslinked SPI composite films.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.161-166
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• 1997

HIV-1 Rev protein plays an important role in regulating the expression of viral structural proteins. It allows the nuclear export and accumulation of unspliced and partially spliced viral mRNA in the cytoplasm. The Rev-responsive element RNA, present in the env gene, forms a higly ordered RNA secondary structure and is required for the Rev-mediated mRNA export. For this process to complete factor(s) are strongly suggested. From our experiments of electrophoretic mobility shift, UV-crosslinking and SDS/PAGE, RRE RNA was found to be recognized to several nuclear factors such as 36/37, 56, 41. 76, 150 kD proteins in the order of reactivity. Among them, 36/37 and 56 kD proteins are more reactive upon a brief UV treatment (5 min) and more persistent in the presence of high amount of nonspecific competitor, heparin. Certain nuclear protein9s) seemed to recognize the RRE RNA structure in competition with Rev to gel mobility shift assay.