New Materials Based on Ethylene Propylene Diene Terpolymer and Hemp Fibers Obtained by Green Reactive Processing

Abstract

The paper presents the obtaining of new green polymeric composites using a sustainable reactive processing method, namely electron beam irradiation. EPDM rubber mixtures were reinforced with different amounts of short hemp fibers, which were then irradiated at doses between 75 and 600 kGy. The samples were analyzed by determination of physical–mechanical properties, sol–gel analysis, crosslink density (using the well-known modified Flory–Rehner equation for tetra functional networks), determination of rubber–fiber interactions (using the Kraus equation), water uptake test and FTIR analysis. The obtained results indicate an improvement of the hardness, the tensile and tear strength as the quantity of hemp fibers increases. As the irradiation dose increases, there is an increase in the degree of crosslinking and the gel fraction. Analyzing the behavior of the irradiation samples using the Charlesby–Pinner equation, it is observed that all the samples tend to crosslink by irradiation, the share of degradation reactions being low. For these reasons, the new materials can be used in the food, pharmaceutical or medical field, because the obtained products are sterile and can be easily resterilized by irradiation. They have high elasticity values and can be used to make packaging, seals and other consumer goods.

A High‐Performance, Sensitive, Wearable Multifunctional Sensor Based on Rubber/CNT for Human Motion and Skin Temperature Detection

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Mechanical Properties and Equilibrium Swelling Characteristics of Some Polymer Composites Based on Ethylene Propylene Diene Terpolymer (EPDM) Reinforced with Hemp Fibers

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Degumming of Hemp Fibers Using Combined Microwave Energy and Deep Eutectic Solvent Treatment

“…There are many methods of hemp ber degumming including chemical (Zhu et al 2021), mechanical (Liu et al 2017), thermal (Gedik and Avinc 2020), water retting, high energy irradiation (Stelescu et al 2020), and other methods. Studies have been done on several chemicals and strategies including alkali treatment, acetylation, bleaching, salinization, benzoylation, and other treatments using organic and inorganic acids, peroxide, chelating agents, anhydrides, sodium chlorite, and sodium sul te (Kabir et al 2020; Menghini et al 2021).…”