Graft copolymerization of 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate onto natural rubber and its effect on vulcanization of natural rubber
摘要
This study investigated the graft copolymerization of 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) onto deproteinized natural rubber (DPNR) using an emulsion system. The grafting reaction employed a redox initiator system consisting of tetraethylenepentaamine (TEPA) and tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHPO), with DMAEMA concentrations of 0.5 and 1.0 mol/kg rubber. The resulting graft copolymers were characterized using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and tensile testing. NMR analysis confirmed the presence of poly(DMAEMA) signals both before and after water extraction, allowing determination of conversion, grafting efficiency, and monomer content through signal intensity measurements. DSC analysis revealed a minor shift in glass transition temperature (Tg) from − 65.9 °C for pure DPNR to -67.6 °C for DPNR-graft-poly(DMAEMA), accompanied by the emergence of a melting peak at 103.6 °C characteristic of poly(DMAEMA). Following vulcanization, the DPNR-graft-poly(DMAEMA) sample containing 1.0 mol DMAEMA/kg-rubber demonstrated superior mechanical properties, achieving a tensile strength of 26.59 MPa - higher than both unmodified DPNR and the DPNR-graft-poly(DMAEMA) sample containing 0.5 mol DMAEMA/kg-rubber. Furthermore, DMAEMA incorporation enhanced zinc oxide dispersion throughout the rubber matrix, thereby improving vulcanization efficiency.