A Chemical Interpretation for the Post-Reversion Upturn in the Natural Rubber/Accelerated Sulfur System Based on the Viscoelastic Properties and Crosslink Density Measurements

Abstract

The curing cycle of natural rubber (NR) with a conventional accelerated sulfur (CV) system generally exhibits three phases. The induction phase, the crosslinking phase, and the reversion phase. Prolonged curing of NR/CV system even at a temperature of 150°C, can show reversion. Many research reports are available in the literature with reference to the reversion behavior and the subsequent network modifications of natural rubber with accelerated sulfur. However, the literature regarding post-reversion curing behavior is scanty. This article describes the post-reversion upturn of natural rubber with a conventional accelerator sulfur system at a higher curing temperature. A network rebuilding after collapsing the initially formed network due to reversion was identified as the primary reason for the post-reversion upturn. The dynamic rheological testing capability of the Rubber Process Analyzer (RPA) was employed to characterize the network formed during curing, reversion and post-reversion phases. The cure-strain sweep data from the RPA indicated that the shear storage modulus (G') of the broken network increased due to the post-reversion upturn. The chemical crosslink densities of the samples were also found to increase due to the upturn curing behavior. From these experimental results and the information conceived from the previous literature, two plausible mechanisms have been proposed to interpret the post-reversion upturn cure behavior.