Radiation crosslinking of acrylic rubber/styrene butadiene rubber blends containing polyfunctional monomers

Abstract The influence of polyfunctional monomers (PFMs) and radiation dose on the physico-mechanical properties of acrylic rubber /styrene butadiene rubber (ACM/SBR) blend (50/50) was investigated. A series of ACM/SBR blends were prepared by varying the ratio of PFMs, namely ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) and pentaerythritol triacrylate (PETA). The different blends were crosslinked by gamma radiation doses up to 100 kGy. It was observed that the gel content, mechanical properties and thermal stability improved as the radiation dose increased. Improved physico-mechanical properties were obtained at lower radiation dose by incorporation of PFMs as co-agent. The results showed that the blends containing EGDMA gave the best results.