TY - JOUR A1 - Musil, B. A1 - Böhning, Martin A1 - Johlitz, M. A1 - Lion, A. T1 - On the inhomogenous chemo-mechanical ageing behaviour of nitrile rubber: experimental investigations, modelling and parameter identification JF - Continuum Mechanics and Thermodynamics N2 - Elastomers are used in almost all areas of industrial applications, such as tires, engine mounts, bridge bearings, seals or coatings. During their use in operation, they are exposed to different environmental influences. These include, in particular, climatic factors such as air oxygen, high temperatures, light (UV radiation) and the influence of media (e.g. oils, fuels). A very important result of these factors is the chemical ageing of elastomers. In this case, the elastomer degenerates and changes its chemical structure in the aged regions, which leads to an irreversible change in the material properties in connection with the reduction in its usability. In this paper, chemical ageing of nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) is investigated. Especially in case of thermo-oxidative ageing at elevated operating temperatures, the ageing processes run inhomogeneously. These effects are known as diffusion-limited oxidation (DLO) and are associated with the diffusion–reaction behaviour of atmospheric oxygen with the elastomer network. For these reasons, NBR samples are artificially aged in air and subjected to different experimental methods, which are presented and discussed. Additional results from inhomogeneous mechanical tests and permeation tests indicate the causes of the DLO-effect, show the influence of chemical ageing and are subsequently used for parameter identification in relation to the diffusion–reaction equation. A continuum-mechanical modelling approach is also presented here, which describes the finite hyperelasticity, diffusion–reaction processes as well as chemical degradation and reformation of the elastomer network. This multifield problem leads to a system of partial and ordinary differential equations and constitutive equations and is solved within the finite element method. KW - Rubber KW - Ageing KW - Gas permeability KW - DLO KW - NBR PY - 2019 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00161-019-00791-1 SN - 0935-1175 SN - 1432-0959 VL - 32 IS - 1 SP - 127 EP - 146 PB - Springer CY - Heidelberg AN - OPUS4-48560 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Strommer, Bettina A1 - Schulze, Dietmar A1 - Schartel, Bernhard A1 - Böhning, Martin T1 - Networking Skills: The Effect of Graphene on the Crosslinking of Natural Rubber Nanocomposites with Sulfur and Peroxide Systems JF - Polymers N2 - Tailored crosslinking in elastomers is crucial for their technical applications. The incorporation of nanoparticles with high surface-to-volume ratios not only leads to the formation of physical networks and influences the ultimate performance of nanocomposites, but it also affects the chemical crosslinking reactions. The influence of few-layer graphene (FLG) on the crosslinking behavior of natural rubber is investigated. Four different curing systems, two sulfur-based with different accelerator-to-sulfur ratios, and two peroxide-based with different peroxide concentrations, are combined with different FLG contents. Using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), vulcametry (MDR) and swelling measurements, the results show an accelerating effect of FLG on the kinetics of the sulfur-based curing systems, with an exothermic reaction peak in DSC shifted to lower temperatures and lower scorch and curing times in the MDR. While a higher accelerator-to-sulfur ratio in combination with FLG leads to reduced crosslinking densities, the peroxide crosslinkers are hardly affected by the presence of FLG. The good agreement of crosslink densities obtained from the swelling behavior confirms the suitability of vulcameter measurements for monitoring the complex vulcanization process of such nanocomposite systems in a simple and efficient way. The reinforcing effect of FLG shows the highest relative improvements in weakly crosslinked nanocomposites. KW - Nanocomposite KW - Elastomers KW - Graphene KW - Crosslinking KW - Network KW - Rubber KW - Vulcanization PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-560409 DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14204363 VL - 14 IS - 20 PB - MDPI AN - OPUS4-56040 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Böhning, Martin A1 - Frasca, Daniele A1 - Schulze, Dietmar A1 - Schartel, Bernhard ED - Yaragalla, S. ED - Kumar Mishra, R. ED - Thomas, S. ED - Kalarikkal, N. ED - Maria, H. J. T1 - Multilayer Graphene/Elastomer Nanocomposites T2 - Carbon-based Nanofillers and their Rubber Nanocomposites N2 - Elastomers are usually reinforced by large amount of fillers like carbon black (CB) or silica in order to improve various mechanical properties, such as Young’s modulus, hardness, tear resistance, abrasion resistance, and gas barrier properties. In recent years, such improvements were also obtained by using nanoparticles at significantly lower filler loadings. Graphene is a twodimensional (2D) sheet of a thickness in the atomic scale, composed of a honeycomb structure of sp2 carbon atoms. Besides significant mechanical reinforcement, graphene harbors the potential to be used as a multifunctional filler, as it can also increase the conductivity and weathering stability of elastomer matrices. Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation and oxidative agents can lead to the degradation of elastomers due to a multistep photooxidative process, including the formation of radicals. Carbon-based fillers have an influence on these reactions, as they can absorb UV radiation and act as radical scavengers. This chapter summarizes the results of our larger project on multilayer graphene (MLG)/elastomer nanocomposites, previously published, which present a comprehensive case study of MLG as a multifunctional nanofiller in elastomer/graphene nanocomposites. Different elastomeric matrices are compared in order to demonstrate the outstanding impact of MLG as a general benefit. The dependency of this effect on concentration is discussed in detail. Taking into account the key role of dispersion, different mixing procedures are compared, evaluating a facile implementation of graphene nanocomposites into conventional rubber processing. Finally, the most probable commercial uses of MLG nanofillers in combination with conventional CB are studied. The nanocomposites were prepared in the kg scale in order to obtain enough specimens to investigate various properties of the uncured and vulcanized rubbers at the highest quality level, including rheology, curing, morphology, several mechanical properties, abrasion, conductivity, gas permeation, burning behavior, and weathering stability. The structure property relationships are asserted and questioned, for example, by investigating the radical scavenging ability or aspect ratio of the MLG. This chapter illustrates the state of the art of graphene/rubber nanocomposites targeted for commercial mass applications. KW - Nanocomposite KW - Graphene KW - Rubber KW - Reinforcement KW - Durability KW - Masterbatch KW - Gas Barrier Properties KW - Conductivity PY - 2019 SN - 978-0-12-817342-8 SP - 139 EP - 200 PB - Elsevier AN - OPUS4-47408 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Strommer, Bettina A1 - Battig, Alexander A1 - Frasca, Daniele A1 - Schulze, Dietmar A1 - Huth, Christian A1 - Böhning, Martin A1 - Schartel, Bernhard T1 - Multifunctional Property Improvements by Combining Graphene and Conventional Fillers in Chlorosulfonated Polyethylene Rubber Composites JF - ACS Applied Polymer Materials N2 - The incorporation of nanoparticles like multilayer graphene (MLG) into elastomeric composites boosts their technical performance, such as their mechanical behavior and electrical conductivity. Common filler types (carbon black (CB) and aluminum trihydroxide (ATH)) generally fulfill single, specific purposes and are often used in high loadings. CB typically reinforces rubber mechanically, while ATH increases flame retardancy. Small amounts of MLG reduce these high filler contents and maintain the multifunctional characteristics of rubber composites. In chlorosulfonated polyethylene (CSM) + ATH, an intrinsically flame-retardant rubber was designed to achieve the highest standards such as maximum average of heat emission (MARHE) <90 kW m−2, 3 phrMLG was substituted for 15 phr CB and/or 3 phr ATH via an industrially applicable processing approach. Replacing either CB or ATH resulted in a property profile that was multifunctionally improved in terms of features such as mechanical performance, reduced sorption, and flame retardance. MLG nanocomposites are reported to show promise as an industrially utilizable route to obtain multifunctional high-performance rubbers. KW - Nanocomposites KW - Rubber KW - Multilayer graphene KW - Flame retardancy KW - Synergy KW - Nanoparticles KW - Elastomers PY - 2022 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acsapm.1c01469 SN - 2637-6105 VL - 4 IS - 2 SP - 1021 EP - 1034 PB - ACS Publ. CY - Washington, DC AN - OPUS4-54330 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -