A New Baypren (Polychloroprene) for Improved Curing With 3-Methyl-Thiazolidine-Thione-2

A new Baypren (Polychloroprene) polymer allows much faster curing which 3-Methyl-thiazolidine-thione-2 as an accelerator. This is especially required for foam and extrusion applications.

The vulcanization of polychloroprene with Ethylene thiurea as accelerator is established in the rubber industry for decades. However there is a need for alternatives since Ethylene thiourea is reasonably anticipated to be a human carcino­gen. Other curatives like 3-Methyl-thiazolidine-thione-2 differ in vulcanization behavior from Ethylene thiurea in various aspects. A new generation of polychloropren grades offer enhanced options to regulate and control the cure characteristics with 3-Methyl-thiazolidine-thione-2. Curing with 3-Methyl-thiazolidine-thione-2 alone and in combination with organic accelerators of different classes like thiazoles, thiurams and sulfonamides is not thoroughly investigated and reported so far. This paper will present the cure characteristics of a new Polychloroprene with 3-Methyl-thiazolidine-thione-2 alone and in combination with organic accelerator and the resulting physical properties.