ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the work on rubber–rubber and rubber–plastics with an objective not only to update the information but also to appreciate the new developments in the science and technology of polymer blending. Substantial work has been done on self-cross-linking rubber blends where two elastomers with opposite ionic charges interact with each other and form cross-links and in the process provide high level of compatibility. K. N. Pandey et al. have used ultrasonic velocity measurement to study compatibility of ethylene–propylene–diene monomer and acrylonitrile–butadiene rubber blends at various blend ratios and in the presence of compatibilizers, namely chloro-sulfonated polyethylene and chlorinated polyethylene. Silicone rubber excels in high-temperature stability, low-temperature flexibility, chemical resistance, weatherability, electrical performance, and sealing capability. Evidence of chemical interaction between the rubbers and compatibilizers was demonstrated by extracting the blends with chloroform at room temperature and examining both soluble and insoluble fractions with Fourier transform infrared spectrometry.
