In Situ Dynamic Vulcanization of Poly(Vinyl Chloride)/Acrylonitrile-butadiene Rubber Blends

Poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC)/acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber (NBR) blends can be obtained through a dynamic vulcanization process as a melt-processible thermoplastic elastomer which produces parts that look, feel and perform like vulcanized rubber with the advantage of being processible as a thermoplastic material. In this study, a vulcanized thermoplastic was obtained by in situ dynamic vulcanization of PVC/NBR blends using a sulphur/ tetramethylthiuram disulphide (TMTD) and mercaptobenzothiazyl disulphide (MBTS) curative system during processing at the melt state. The blends were melt-mixed using a Haake Rheomix 600. The curing behavior of NBR was then investigated by a Monsanto rheometer. The thermal analyses were performed and the cross-linking at different mixing times was calculated using DSC. FT-IR was also performed for characterization of the blends. The cross-link densities of the samples were measured by a swelling method. The degree of cure increases with the mixing time. The cross-linking formation was verified through the formation of C S bonds in the blends.