Addition of ozone in the UV radiation treatment of a synthetic styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) rubber

Adhesion was highly improved after UV and UV/O3 treatments of S6 rubber, more markedly with increasing treatment time. A moderate increase in peel strength of the joints produced with O3-treated S6 rubber was produced and an adhesion/cohesive failure in a thin rubber layer was observed irrespective of treatment time. On increasing the treatment time with UV and UV/O3, the adhesive joints showed different loci of failure: adhesion+cohesive failure in a thin rubber layer for the S6 rubber treated for 2 min with UV or UV/O3, and cohesive failure in the S6 rubber treated for 30 min with UV or UV/O3 treatments.