Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Traditionally, sulfur-cured natural rubber compounds exhibit limited recyclability due to a significant drop in mechanical performance after reprocessing. Maintaining physical and chemical properties after recycling of a cross-linked polymer is an essential requirement for the global rubber industry to become more sustainable. Here, we demonstrate that tuning the curing process to favour a reversible cross-linked network based on disulfide and polysulfide bonds enables recyclability. We use a sulfur-based vulcanization system optimized with copper (II) methacrylate at concentrations of 2.47, 4.94, and 9.89 phr to control disulfide metathesis at low temperatures and enhance recyclability. Mechanical characterization identifies 2.47 phr as optimal for maintaining mechanical properties after initial moulding and full recovery after recycling. Additionally, we demonstrate that copper (II) methacrylate can be incorporated into existing rubber waste streams to promote recyclability.
Source: Communications Materials
Authors: Anureet Kaur, Meet M. Fefar, Thomas Griggs, Keizo Akutagawa, Biqiong Chen, James J. C. Busfield
Institutions: Queen Mary University of London, Queen's University Belfast
Language: English
Subfield: Polymers and Plastics
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,490
OpenAlex ID: W4403159519