Study on viscoelastic properties of epoxidized trans -1,4-polyisoprene by rubber process analyzer

Two kinds of epoxidized trans -1,4-polyisoprene (ETPI) were prepared by surface selective epoxidation which products named as SETPI and solution random epoxidation which product named as RETPI, respectively. The viscoelastic behavior of unmodified trans -1,4-polyisoprene (TPI) and ETPI, both RETPI and SETPI, was studied with the use of a rubber process analyzer (RPA). The strain sweep, frequency sweep, temperature sweep and stress sweep indicated that the SETPI could be seen as a blend of the pure ETPI and TPI. The rheological behavior of TPI and ETPI was recorded by two kinds of shear rate. An obvious effect of epoxidation on the movement behavior of the melt of RETPI was observed. However, the effect of epoxy content of SETPI on lnη* is weak. The complex viscosity at various frequencies of SETPI is higher than that of RETPI.