The silica-filled polychloroprene rubber in the addition of alkanolamide: tensile and vulcanization properties

Alkanolamide as a type of fatty alcohols was compounded to improve the tensile and vulcanization properties of silica filled polychloroprene rubber (CR) using a system of semi efficient vulcanization. The CR was filled by silica filler with a certain concentration at thirty phr and the alkanolamide was compounded within silica-reinforced CR at varied amounts i.e. 0.0, 1.0, 3.0, 5.0 and 7.0 phr. The results showed that alkanolamide increased the times to optimum cure, maximum and minimum torques and torque change. It also reduced the tensile moduli but increased the breaking elongations. The tensile strength was increased up to a three phr of alkanolamide incorporation and, the three phr of alkanolamide was an optimum concentration where silica filled CR vulcanizate with three phr of alkanolamide concentration had tensile strength with the highest value.