Reactions of carboxylated butadiene–styrene rubbers and their mixtures with ɛ-caprolactam induced by γ-radiation

✍ Scribed by Mladenov, I. ;Tutorski??, I. A. ;Dogadkin, B. A.

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1962
• Weight: 353 KB
• Volume: 61
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0022-3832
• DOI: 10.1002/pol.1962.1206117124

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Carboxylated butadiene–styrene rubber containing various amounts of styrene and methacrylic acid were exposed to 0.1–50 Mr doses of γ‐radiation from a Co^60^ source. This irradiation resulted in a decrease in the carboxyl group content, particularly at low doses. The radiochemical yield of crosslinked polymers at low doses is a linear function of the carboxyl group content of the initial polymer. The number of crosslinks formed by the carboxyl groups at doses up to 20 Mr calculated from the maximum swelling data was found to agree satisfactorily with the number of crosslinks as calculated from the carboxyl group consumption. Irradiation of the carboxylated rubber in mixtures with ε‐caprolactam gives rise to addition of the latter to the rubber with formation of insoluble compounds. The amount of caprolactam combining with the rubber increases linearly with an increase in ε‐caprolactam content of the original mixtures in the range of 5–50%. There is also an increase in the degree of crosslinking. An increase in the bound ε‐caprolactam content leads to an increase in the tensile strength of the polymer.