Hydrogenated Natural Rubber as an Alternative Replacement to Ethylene-Propylene-Diene-Monomer (EPDM) Rubber in Terms of Thermal-Oxidative Degradation Properties

Hydrogenated natural rubber was prepared by the non-catalytic hydrogenation of natural rubber latex (NRL) with diimide generated from oxidation of hydrazine by hydrogen peroxide. The hydrogenated natural rubber (HNR) was characterized by Raman and FTIR spectroscopy. Raman and FTIR spectra showed that the chemical structure of hydrogenated natural rubber tends to be similar to ethylene-propylene-diene-monomer rubber. The thermogravimetric analysis revealed that the thermal-oxidative decomposition resistance of 65% HNR was close to those of EPDM and the thermal-oxidative decomposition behavior of 65% HNR was similar to EPDM. It is interesting that HNR can be a potential alternative to EPDM in terms of thermal-oxidative degradation properties.