Effect of FKM‐g‐acrylamide reactive compatibilizer on mechanical, thermal and aging behaviors of fluoroelastomer (FKM)/silicone rubber (MVQ) blend

Abstract The study presents the preparation of acrylamide grafted fluoroelastomer (FKM‐g‐acrylamide) by melt mixing process and its evaluation as a reactive compatibilizer for fluoroelastomer (FKM) and methyl vinyl silicone rubber (MVQ) blend system (at different compositions) in terms of mechanical properties, thermal stability, aging behavior, and morphological aspects. Mechanical properties investigation discloses almost 20% increment in tensile strength after the incorporation of 3 parts per hundred rubber of FKM‐g‐acrylamide into the FKM/MVQ blend. The shifting of the T g s of both the rubber phases toward each other along with the decrease of the heat capacity value ( C p ) attest the effective compatibilization role of the compatibilizer. However, no significant changes in the thermal stability of the blends are observed after incorporation of the prepared compatibilizer. The heat and oil aging behavior shows remarkable percentage retention of the mechanical properties for the compatibilized blend system compared to the uncompatibilized one. The morphological study indicates the abrupt reduction of the FKM domain size (2000–180 nm) in the MVQ matrix for the compatibilized blend.