Effect of different types of peroxides on rheological, mechanical, and morphological properties of thermoplastic vulcanizates based on natural rubber/polypropylene blends

Influences of various types and concentrations of peroxides on the properties of thermoplastic vulcanizates based on natural rubber/polypropylene (PP) blends were investigated. The objective was to find a proper balance between the influences of degree of crosslinking of the rubber and degradation of the PP phase on the rheological, mechanical, and morphological properties. The typical crosslinking temperature and crosslink efficiency and also relative amounts of decomposition products of each peroxide play an important role in the properties of the TPVs. In this work, the TPVs prepared with DCP or DTBPIB give a superior overall balance of properties relative to the TPVs crosslinked with DTBPH or DTBPHY.