Characterization of Thermoplastic Elastomers Made of MAH-g-EPDM and ZnO Using Liquid-State NMR

Abstract

Thermoplastic elastomers made of maleic anhydride-grafted ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer (MAH-g-EPDM) and zinc oxide were characterized by liquid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Organic materials remained in the samples were extracted and dried for nuclear magnetic resonance analysis. The samples were soaked in benzene and were put into a nuclear magnetic resonance tube. Sufficient deuterated chloroform was then added to the nuclear magnetic resonance tube. The ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectra showed the characteristic peaks for the ethylene, propylene and diene units of ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer. Raw and cured ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymers were also analyzed and the results were compared with the thermoplastic elastomers. The analytical results suggested that the outside parts of MAH-g-EPDM did not participate in the formation of ionomers between the maleic acid groups of MAH-g-EPDM and zinc oxide. The outer parts might be composed of ethylene-propylene sequences and non-modified dienes not including maleic anhydride and maleic acid groups.