Preparation of self-healing vulcanized natural rubber with multiple self-healing factors by using a MgO‒ZnO coactivator
摘要
Self-healing (S-H) vulcanized natural rubber (V-NR) with multiple S-H factors was prepared via a magnesium oxide–zinc oxide (MgO–ZnO) coactivator. V-NR was prepared with the MgO–ZnO coactivator or ZnO alone and with N-tert-butyl-2-benzothiazyl sulfenamide (TBBS) or tetramethylthiuram disulfide (TMTD) as the accelerator. The most effective vulcanizing formulation incorporating the MgO–ZnO coactivator for S-H V-NR was subsequently applied to prepare S-H vulcanized epoxidized natural rubber (V-ENR). The curing characteristics of V-NR and V-ENR were analyzed, and their self-healability was assessed based on stress and strain recovery after the S-H process. The composition of the sulfur crosslink junctions was examined via Raman spectroscopy. The results revealed that the MgO‒ZnO coactivator facilitated disulfide and polysulfide bond formation, thereby enhancing self-healability through disulfide and/or polysulfide metathesis. Furthermore, the incorporation of the MgO‒ZnO coactivator to prepare V-ENR introduced multiple S-H factors, including the reformation of disulfide and polysulfide bonds and thermoreversible hydrogen bonding. Consequently, V-ENRs with multiple S-H factors exhibited superior self-healability compared with V-NRs prepared using the same vulcanizing formulation.