title: Thermal aging of interfacial polymer chains in ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer/aluminum hydroxide composites: solid-state NMR study.
abstract: The possible influence of micrometric-size filler particles on the thermo-oxidative degradation behavior of the polymer chains at polymer/filler interfaces is still an open question. In this study, a cross-linked ethylene-propylene-diene (EPDM) terpolymer filled by aluminum trihydrate (ATH) particles is investigated using (1)H solid-state NMR. The time evolution of the EPDM network microstructure under thermal aging at 80 °C is monitored as a function of the exposure time and compared to that of an unfilled EPDM network displaying a similar initial structure. While nearly no variations of the topology are observed on the neat EPDM network over 5 days at 80 °C, a significant amount of chain scission phenomena are evidenced in EPDM/ATH. A specific surface effect induced by ATH on the thermodegradative properties of the polymer chains located in their vicinity is thus pointed out. Close to the filler particles, a higher amount of chain scissions are detected, and the characteristic length scale related to these interfacial regions displaying a significant thermo-oxidation process is determined as a function of the aging time.
authors.affiliation: Equipe Systèmes Polymères Complexes, Institut de Chimie et des Matériaux Paris-Est (UMR 7182 CNRS/Université Paris-Est Créteil), Thiais, France.
authors.forename: Brice
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gabrielle
authors.forename: Cédric
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lorthioir
authors.forename: Françoise
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lauprêtre