a b s t r a c t
Curing behaviour as well as mechanical properties of binary blends of epoxidized natural rubber (ENR)
and dodecanedioic acid (DA) were investigated for development of self-vulcanizable elastomer blends.
Cross-linking reaction at 180 C of reactive functional rubber containing 25 and 10 mol% epoxide groups
was followed by rheology. The properties of the cured materials were studied by dynamic mechanical
analysis, stressestrain experiments, and DSC measurements. It was shown that a specific ratio ENR/DA
gave rise to optimum mechanical properties. This ratio decreases together with the epoxidation level of
the rubber. DSC measurements revealed that the glass transition temperature of the cured material
increases nonlinearly at high concentrations of cross-linking agent. By comparing cross-linking with DA
and reaction with monofunctional lauric acid, this behaviour was attributed to polar interactions due to
free carboxylic groups of pending diacid grafts.