Influence of Oxirane Ring and Phenylenediamine Structures in Modified Palm Processing Oils on Properties of ENR/PP TPVs

Summary N-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine modified epoxidized palm oil (m-EPO) was synthesized and applied as an alternative processing oil in laboratory tests of rubber compounding. The effects of added functionalities in the chemical structure of m-EPO on the properties of ENR/PP TPVs were investigated. Palm oil (PO), epoxidized palm oil (EPO), and petroleum based white oil (WO) were used in this comparative study. The results show that oxirane rings and amine structures on N-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine promoted the compatibility of processing oil with ENR molecules, due to structural similarity and interactions between polar functional groups. Furthermore, the amine structures enhanced the formation of active sulfurating agent for sulfur vulcanization. Therefore, increased torque differences with shorter cure times were observed for ENR vulcanizates with m-EPO, relative to those of the TPVs with the other oils. Also, there were clear improvements in the tensile strength and the elongation at break stemming from the fine morphology of the vulcanized ENR particles. This indicates that the novel m-EPO processing oil is a competitive alternative for the rubber industry in terms of its technical performance.