Influence of polar‐modified ESBO on the thermal and mechanical properties of FKM/EPDM rubber blends

Abstract Renowned for its oil, heat, and chemical resistance, fluoroelastomer rubber (FKM) also presents notable drawbacks, such as inferior low‐temperature performance. In this study, 2,2‐trifluoroethylamine (TF) and 2,4‐difluorobenzylamine (DF) were grafted onto epoxidized soybean oil (ESBO) to generate two innovative plasticizers: ESBO‐TF and ESBO‐DF that they were specifically designed to augment the low‐temperature performance of FKM. A thorough investigation into the effects of ESBO‐TF/DF on FKM/EPDM blends' properties was conducted. The study demonstrated that the integration of ESBO‐TF and ESBO‐DF enhanced the vital properties of the FKM/EPDM blends, including elongation at break, tear strength, and, significantly, low‐temperature performance. There was a noticeable decrease in the glass transition temperature ( T g ), dropping by 3.54 and 2.95°C with the incorporation of 10 phr ESBO‐TF and ESBO‐DF, respectively. These respective plasticizers showed positive effects on the plasticization and compatibilization of the FKM/EPDM blends, thus proposing a novel methodology for developing new plasticizers for FKM and related blends.