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Fluororubber vulcanizate powder (FVP) obtained from fluororubber based on tetrafluoroethylene/propylene/vinylidene fluoride terpolymer by mechanical grinding exists in a highly aggregated chain-like structure. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and infrared (IR) spectroscopy studies show that there are no chemical changes on the rubber surface following mechanical grinding of the fluororubber vulcanizate after heat aging at 200°C for 10 days. The incorporation of FVP as a filler in the fluororubber compound results in a marginal increase of Mooney viscosity, Mooney scorch time and shear viscosity. While tensile strength, modulus and hardness marginally increase on addition of FVP into the fluororubber compound, tear strength decreases. Rheometric studies show that FVP alone is susceptible to further crosslinking in the presence of a curing agent. Dynamic mechanical spectra reveal that the glass to rubber transition temperature shifts higher by the addition of FVP into the fluororubber compound. At omic force microscopy (AFM) images show uniform dispersion of FVP particles into the rubber matrix., INTRODUCTION Recycling of waste rubber is important for both economic and environmental reasons. A potentially attractive method is to grind waste vulcanized rubber and use the resultant powder as a [...]

The silicone rubber vulcanizate powder (SVP) obtained from silicone rubber by mechanical grinding exists in a highly aggregated state. The particle size distribution of SVP is broad, ranging from 2 μm to 110 μm with an average particle size of 33 μm. X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Infrared (IR) Spectroscopy studies show that there is no chemical change on the rubber surface following mechanical grinding of the heat-aged (200°C/ 10 days) silicone rubber vulcanizate. Addition of SVP in silicone rubber increases the Mooney viscosity, Mooney scorch time, shear viscosity and activation energy for viscous flow. Measurement of curing characteristics reveals that incorporation of SVP into the virgin silicone rubber causes an increase in minimum torque, but marginal decrease in maximum torque and rate constant of curing. However, the activation energy of curing shows an increasing trend with increasing loading of SVP. Expectedly, incorporation of SVP does not alter the glass-rubb er transition and cold crystallization temperatures of silicone rubber, as observed in the dynamic mechanical spectra. It is further observed that on incorporation of even a high loading of SVP (i.e., 60 phr), the tensile and tear strength of the silicone rubber are decreased by only about 20%, and modulus dropped by 15%, while the hardness, tension set and hysteresis loss undergo marginal changes and compression stress-relaxation is not significantly changed. Atomic Force Microscopy studies reveal that incorporation of SVP into silicone rubber does not cause significant changes in the surface morphology., INTRODUCTION Disposal of worn-out rubber products and factory wastes is a global problem for both environmental and economic reasons. A potentially attractive method Is to grind vulcanized rubber and use [...]