Halogenation of styrene-butadiene rubber to improve its adhesion to polyurethanes

Halogenation of styrene-butadiene rubbers has been carried out using solutions containing different amounts (0.1-5 wt%) of trichloroisocyanuric acid in butan-2-one. The treated rubber surface showed increased peel strength in joints made with polyurethane adhesive. The effects of chlorination on the rubber surface were studied using scanning electron microscopy, contact angle measurements, and infrared spectroscopy. It was shown that cracks appear in the rubber surface after halogenation, a factor which favours adhesion; the larger the amount of trichloroisocyanuric acid used, the larger the number of cracks. On the other hand, chlorination of the carbon double bond (butadiene) and the formation of carboxylic acid groups seem to be the most important chemical changes in the chlorinated rubber surfaces. Chlorination increases the surface energy of the rubber, although this increase is a function of the rubber composition. In fact, for a simple rubber formulation, the polar component of the surface energy increases for the highest concentrations of chlorine on the rubber surface; but for rubber with a more complicated formulation, the same value of surface energy after chlorination was obtained, independently of the amount of trichloroisocyanuric acid added. A good correlation was found between the contact angle measurements, the infrared spectra, and the peel strength values.