The Utility of a New Dual Functional Coagent for Peroxide Cured Elastomers

It is well known in the industry that addition of the proper coagent to peroxide cure elastomer compounds provides enhanced performance in terms of the rate at which vulcanization or crosslinking occurs and the type and degree of crosslinking that occurs. Additionally, the chemical structure of the coagent and elastomer type affects compound morphology that in turn determines the final physical properties and end use performance. (Meth)acrylate functional liquid coagents that improve both the rate and the state of cure are known as Type I and other solid or highly viscous coagents containing vinyl and allylic unsaturation that affect only the state of cure are known as Type II.

 In this study, performance of a new dual functional liquid coagent containing both allylic and methacrylate functionality is evaluated in peroxide cure elastomer compounds.  This work demonstrates that the combination of both Type I and Type II coagent can provide a good balance of processability, cure performance and physical properties.  Some examples are cure response and compression set similar to TAC but reduced torque during mixing and increased modulus and hardness similar to liquid (meth)acrylate coagents. Specifically, the utility of this new coagent will be shown in EPDM, NBR, HNBR and other elastomer base formulations.