DIK/DKG project call: Efficiency of antiozonants in rubber matrices – Regulation of p-phenylenediamines

DIK (Deutsches Institut für Kautschuktechnologie e. V.) and DKG (Deutsche Kautschuk-Gesellschaft e. V.) are planning a research project regarding the efficiency of antiozonants in rubber matrices. The project has arisen from the need to find suitable alternatives to 6PPD, which is expected to be regulated by REACH in the future. From this situation the aim results to investigate possibilities in ozone protection for polydienes, which are already available and known from literature concerning their efficiency.

Due to their microstructure, the influence of ozone is a main problem especially for diene rubbers such as NR, BR, NBR and SBR. Ozone attack on the rubber can only be prevented by adding antiozonants or saturated polymers. In recent decades, p-phenylenediamines such as "6PPD" have proven their worth due to their excellent combinatorial protective effect against ozone and oxygen, but nowadays 6PPD is under discussion because of ecological and toxicological concerns (REACH). At this point, there will be a need in the future to find efficient substitutes and to know their effect mechanisms.

From this situation the aim results to investigate possibilities in ozone protection (additives, polymeric blend systems) for polydienes, which are already available and known from literature concerning their efficiency (effect per unit of concentration). This also includes aspects such as chemical compatibility or solubility of antiozonants in different rubber matrices in order to detect problems as for example phase sep-ration and blooming, as well as to find out the optimum ratio between concentration and effect in technically relevant compounds. Another goal is to gain knowledge about the kinetics of consumption as well as their diffusion properties and do find out stress that may be induced in the material significantly increases damage by ozone despite the presence of antiozonants.

In addition to unfilled model systems, selected technically used compounds based on rubbers with different double bond concentration in the main chain with different antiozonants (available on the market, literature) are to be considered in the investigation program.

Conditions

• Funding of the project by industrial partners (consortium)
• Duration: 2.5 years
• Costs: 90,000 EUR/year, apportionment between partners, max. 20,000 EUR (plus VAT) per partner and year

If you are interested and for more details please contact Prof. Dr. Ulrich Giese () or Dr. Tatjana Krups () at DIK or Dr. Veronika Beer () at DKG.

www.dikautschuk.de
www.dkg-rubber.de