Spectroscopy Of Rubbers And Rubbery Materials

This book deals with the application of spectroscopic techniques for characterisation of chemical and physical structures in viscoelastic materials, such as unvulcanised elastomers and their vulcanisates, various rubbery materials and some plastics, which when blended with particular additives (plasticisers) behave like rubbers. Analysis of the rubbery materials is complicated by the fact that rubbery products, such as tyres, tubes, seals, V-belts and hoses, contain in the rubbery matrix a significant amount of various compounds, i.e., fillers, vulcanising agents, antioxidants and plasticisers. Due to the complex composition, no single technique can provide a good understanding of the effect of chemical and physical structures on the functional properties of rubbery materials. Thus spectroscopy has become a powerful tool for the determination of polymer structures. The most comprehensive information on chemical and physical structures in relation to material properties can be obtained by using a combination of macroscopic techniques and methods that provide information on the molecular level. frequently used for analysis of rubbery materials, i.e., various methods of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and optical spectroscopy. The main objective of this present book is to discuss a wide range of applications of the spectroscopic techniques for the analysis of rubbery materials. The book brings together the various spectroscopic techniques for obtaining the following information: chemical structure of rubbery materials, network structure analysis, heterogeneity of rubbery materials, physical properties of rubbery materials, functional properties and stability of rubbery materials, processing of rubbery materials and quality control. The contents of this book are of interest to chemists, physicists, material scientists and technologists who seek a better understanding of rubbery materials.

The first edition of this book (1958) described an analytical situation which had existed for a number of years for maintaining quality control on vulcanizates of natural rubber although the situation had recently been disturbed by the introduction of a range of synthetic rubbers which required identification and quantitative estimation. For the former purpose 'wet' chemistry, based on various imperfectly understood organic reactions, was pressed into service. Alongside this was the first introduction of instrumental analysis, using the infrared spectra of either the polymers or, more usually, their pyrolytic products to 'fingerprint' the material. The identification of a range of organic accelerators, antioxidants and their derivatives which had been intro duced during the 1920s and 30s was, in the first edition, dealt with by a combination of column chromatography and infrared spectroscopy or by paper chromatography. Quantitative procedures were, however, still classical in the tradition of gravimetric or volumetric assays with an initially weighed sample yielding, after chemical manipulation, a carefully precipitated, dried and weighed end product, or a solution of known composition whose weight or titre, as a percentage of the initial sample, quantified the function being determined. The second edition of this work (1968) consolidated the newer techni ques which had been introduced in the first without adding to them although, in other applications of analytical chemistry, instrumental analysis had already brought about a transformation in laboratory practice.

This handbook collects over 800 infrared spectra of rubbers, plastics and thermoplastics elastometers. It contains five different libraries: rubbers in trasmission spectroscopy, rubbers in pyrolysate spectroscopy, plastics in trasmission spectroscopy, plastics in pyrolysate spectroscopy, and rubbers and plastics in single-bounce ATR spectroscopy. This is an invaluable reference for the rubbers and plastics industry.

For the 3rd Edition of this popular, authoritative and respected book, the collection has been completely revised and enlarged, with the addition of around 200 new spectra bringing the total number in the library to around 800. A number of improvements in the layout and design of the collection have been made. Some of these, such as a simpler classification system, clearer headings for the spectra, and the insertion of material indexes at the end of each section have been designed to make the library quicker and easier to use. It is also the case that, whereas the previous two editions were comprised of only four separate sub-libraries, covering the transmission and pyrolysate spectra of both rubber and plastic materials, another major improvement for this edition has been the incorporation of an additional, comprehensive library produced using a single bounce attenuated total reflectance (ATR) accessory. This is a very useful development, as since the publication of the second edition of this library in 1997, this type of ATR technique has acquired a high degree of popularity due to its many attributes, including speed and ease of use, the need for only small amounts of sample, and its virtually non-destructive nature. All the spectra in the collection have been collected and stored at a resolution of 4 cm-1 and are plotted as percentage transmittance against wavenumber. For the transmission and pyrolyate spectra, the wavenumber range shown is 400 to 4000 cm-1, whereas for the single bounce, diamond window ATR spectra the range is 650 to 4000 cm-1. The layout of the spectra has been changed for this edition - within each of the five sub-libraries spectra are listed in alphabetical order according to material type, which is displayed in the main heading above each spectrum. A number of polymer blends are represented in these sub-libraries, and the proportions of the polymers in the blend is also shown in this main heading. There is also a secondary heading for each spectrum, where as much additional information as possible has been provided, e.g., the trade name of the material, its manufacturer, compositional information, (e.g., fillers present), and the method of preparing the sample, (e.g., film cast from chloroform) for the recording of the spectrum. As mentioned above, transmission, pyrolysate and ATR spectra are all present in the library. Two different approaches were used to produce the sample films that were used for the recording of the transmission spectra: hot pressing, and casting from a polymer solution. The pyrolysate spectra of the polymers were recorded from collected pyrolysis condensates. Where necessary, samples for pyrolysate work were cleaned up by an initial solvent extraction step. The spectra for the ATR part of the library were recorded using a single bounce, diamond window ATR accessory. This library represents one of the most comprehensive, independent collections of infrared spectra that are commercially available. Drawing on Rapra's international reputation as a centre of excellence and compiled by polymer analysts for polymer analysts it has proved, since the first edition appeared in 1992, to be of immense value to users from both academia and industry. The many improvements in this edition, particularly the inclusion of an ATR section and the enlargement of the range of polymer blends that are covered, will ensure that this library continues to be a must have acquisition for all those concerned with the analysis of polymers and polymer systems.

The combination of its unique morphology, physical properties, cost effectiveness and environmental friendliness make natural rubber an appealing constituent for many materials and applications. Natural Rubber Materials covers the synthesis, characterization and applications of natural rubber based blends, interpenetrating polymer networks, composites and nanocomposites. With contributions from established international experts in the field, volume 1 covers different types of natural rubber-based blends and IPNs, whilst volume 2 focuses on natural rubber-based composites and nanocomposites. This is the first book to consolidate the current state of the art information on natural rubber based materials providing a "one stop" reference resource for professionals, researchers, industrial practitioners, graduate students, and senior undergraduates in the fields of polymer science and engineering, materials science, surface science, bioengineering and chemical engineering.

Rubber analysis plays a vital part in ensuring that manufactured products are fit for purpose. This comprehensive, application-based book with up-to-date referencing covers all important applications and subject area associated with the analysis of rubber compounds and rubber products. Includes characterization of rubber polymers, rubber fumes, identification of extractables and leachables, as well as reverse engineering on compounded products.