Characterization of EPDM Vulcanizates Modified with Gamma Irradiation and Trichloroisocyanuric Acid and Their Adhesion Behavior with Natural Rubber

The adhesion strength between surface-modified vulcanized ethylene propylene diene methylene (EPDM) rubber and unmodified natural rubber (NR) was investigated by a 180 degrees peel test. Surface modification of EPDM vulcanizate was carried out by two different techniques: (a) irradiation of the surface by gamma radiation in the presence and absence of trimethylol propane triacrylate (TMPTA) as a sensitizer and (b) chemical treatment of the surface with trichloroisocyanuric acid (TCICA). The modified EPDM surface was thoroughly characterized by attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy (ATR-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), energy dispersive X-ray sulfur mapping (EDX), surface energy measurements, and free sulfur and gel content analysis. The joint between the modified vulcanized EPDM and the unmodified unvulcanized NR was prepared by a co-curing method. The adhesion strength between these two surfaces was found to depend on the nature of oxidation, roughness of the joining surfaces, and extent of blooming of sulfur on the modified surface. Surface modification of EPDM sample with 1 kGy of gamma irradiation in the presence of 10 wt% TMPTA resulted in a good increase in the adhesion strength between EPDM and NR (similar to 76% improvement over the untreated sample). On the other hand, for the trichloroisocyanuric acid modified sample, maximum improvement of adhesion strength was observed at 0.5 wt% of TCICA (similar to 29% improvement in comparison with the untreated sample).