Molecular design of damping rubber based on polyacrylate-containing silicone

A series of damping rubbers based on poly(meth)acrylate and poly(meth)acrylate-containing silicone rubbers has been prepared. The dynamical mechanical properties were evaluated by using a dynamic mechanical viscoelastometer (DMA). A detailed investigation is reported on the relationship of the damping capability of the poly(meth)acrylate rubbers with their composition and macromolecular architecture. Also discussed is the effect of two kinds of silicone elastomers on the damping performance of the polyacrylate-containing silicone rubber. The results indicate that, in vulcanized rubber systems, both statistical copolymerization for multiple monomers and blending between immiscible polymers with close T(g)s facilitate broadening the glass transition peaks. Furthermore, the molecular design is quite an effective approach in which the multiple monomers whose polymers have a ladder-changing T are used to synthesize the damping rubber with the broad effective functional area. (C) 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.