Improvement in compression performance of the polysulfide sealant by thiol-acrylate reaction

Trimethylolpropanetriacrylate (TMPTA) was added to the polysulfide‐manganese dioxide (PSF‐MnO2) liquid mixtures as a crosslinker to improve their crosslinking capability. The samples were cured at room temperature for different times and the crosslinking degree was characterized by extraction and swelling tests. Mechanical properties of the cured samples including tensile, compression (stress relaxation, permanent set, and cyclic compression), and dynamic mechanical behaviors were investigated. The results indicated that the TMPTA crosslinker significantly increased the crosslinking degree and the homogeneity of the formed PSF networks. As a result, the tensile and compression stress and relaxation performances of the cured PSF rubber were dramatically improved. This result was also consistent with the results from the swelling, cyclic compression, and dynamic mechanical measurements. Interestingly, the tensile strength of the TMPTA cured samples did not show apparent change when the curing time was longer than 14 days, whereas their compression stress and relaxation performance were growing remarkably from 14 to 60 days. The improved performances were attributed to the high efficiency of thiol‐acrylate Michael addition reaction for the crosslinking. It promoted the curing rate, resulting in good compression properties in a much shorter curing time.POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2011. © 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers