Influence of polar-modified ESBO on the thermal and mechanical properties of FKM/EPDM rubber blends

Renowned for its oil, heat, and chemical resistance, fluoroelastomer rubber (FKM) also presents notable drawbacks, such as inferior low-temperature performance. In this study, 2,2-trifluoroethylamine (TF) and 2,4-difluorobenzylamine (DF) were grafted onto epoxidized soybean oil (ESBO) to generate two innovative plasticizers: ESBO-TF and ESBO-DF that they were specifically designed to augment the low-temperature performance of FKM. A thorough investigation into the effects of ESBO-TF/DF on FKM/EPDM blends' properties was conducted. The study demonstrated that the integration of ESBO-TF and ESBO-DF enhanced the vital properties of the FKM/EPDM blends, including elongation at break, tear strength, and, significantly, low-temperature performance. There was a noticeable decrease in the glass transition temperature (Tg), dropping by 3.54 and 2.95°C with the incorporation of 10 phr ESBO-TF and ESBO-DF, respectively. These respective plasticizers showed positive effects on the plasticization and compatibilization of the FKM/EPDM blends, thus proposing a novel methodology for developing new plasticizers for FKM and related blends. © 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.