Aliphatic Liquid Transport through Heterogeneous Ethylene-Propylene- Diene Monomer Rubber/Poly (ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) Blends

The sorption and diffusion of n-alkanes, namely, hexane, heptane, and octane through crosslinked Ethylene-Propylene-Diene Monomer/Poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) (EPDM/EVA) blends has been examined in the temperature interval of 28-58 degrees C. Special reference has been given to the effects of blend composition, crosslinking systems, penetrant nature, and temperature on the liquid transport. The solvent uptake was found to decrease with increase in EVA content in the blends. The blends were crosslinked by three crosslinking systems namely, sulfur, dicumyl peroxide (DCP), and a mixture consisting of sulfur and peroxide. The DCP crosslinked system exhibited the lowest solvent uptake. These observations have been correlated with the phase morphology of the blends using scanning electron micrographs. The values of the kinetic parameters of permeability and molar mass between crosslinks have been found to be complementary to the observations. The experimental diffusivity values have been compared with different theoretical models.