Investigation of physical properties and morphology of compatibilized EPDM/EVA blends:

The main aim is to investigate the effect of adding of 5% hydrolyzed poly (ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) (EVAOH), itaconic anhydride (naturally obtained during fermentation of sugars (It.anhydride)), and mercapto-modified ethylene-co-vinyl acetate (EVASH) as compatibilizers on the mechanical properties before and after thermal oxidative aging at 90°C for different time periods up to 7 days, electrical properties, and morphology of ethylene propylene diene monomer/ethylene vinyl acetate (EPDM/EVA) blends of different compositions (75/25, 60/40, 50/50, and 25/75, respectively). Stress at yield, tensile strength, and elongation at break of EPDM/EVA were improved markedly by the addition of 5% compatibilizers (EVAOH, It.anhydride, and EVASH). The micrographs of fractured surfaces obtained from the scanning electron microscope demonstrated further the enhancement of compatibility between EPDM and EVA by the addition of reactive compatibilizers. Further, the blends permittivity e′ and dielectric loss e″ have been ...