This book deals with the application of spectroscopic techniques for characterisation of chemical and physical structures in viscoelastic materials, such as unvulcanised elastomers and their vulcanisates, various rubbery materials and some plastics, which when blended with particular additives (plasticisers) behave like rubbers. Analysis of the rubbery materials is complicated by the fact that rubbery products, such as tyres, tubes, seals, V-belts and hoses, contain in the rubbery matrix a significant amount of various compounds, i.e., fillers, vulcanising agents, antioxidants and plasticisers. Due to the complex composition, no single technique can provide a good understanding of the effect of chemical and physical structures on the functional properties of rubbery materials. Thus spectroscopy has become a powerful tool for the determination of polymer structures. The most comprehensive information on chemical and physical structures in relation to material properties can be obtained by using a combination of macroscopic techniques and methods that provide information on the molecular level. frequently used for analysis of rubbery materials, i.e., various methods of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and optical spectroscopy. The main objective of this present book is to discuss a wide range of applications of the spectroscopic techniques for the analysis of rubbery materials. The book brings together the various spectroscopic techniques for obtaining the following information: chemical structure of rubbery materials, network structure analysis, heterogeneity of rubbery materials, physical properties of rubbery materials, functional properties and stability of rubbery materials, processing of rubbery materials and quality control. The contents of this book are of interest to chemists, physicists, material scientists and technologists who seek a better understanding of rubbery materials.

The first edition of this book (1958) described an analytical situation which had existed for a number of years for maintaining quality control on vulcanizates of natural rubber although the situation had recently been disturbed by the introduction of a range of synthetic rubbers which required identification and quantitative estimation. For the former purpose 'wet' chemistry, based on various imperfectly understood organic reactions, was pressed into service. Alongside this was the first introduction of instrumental analysis, using the infrared spectra of either the polymers or, more usually, their pyrolytic products to 'fingerprint' the material. The identification of a range of organic accelerators, antioxidants and their derivatives which had been intro duced during the 1920s and 30s was, in the first edition, dealt with by a combination of column chromatography and infrared spectroscopy or by paper chromatography. Quantitative procedures were, however, still classical in the tradition of gravimetric or volumetric assays with an initially weighed sample yielding, after chemical manipulation, a carefully precipitated, dried and weighed end product, or a solution of known composition whose weight or titre, as a percentage of the initial sample, quantified the function being determined. The second edition of this work (1968) consolidated the newer techni ques which had been introduced in the first without adding to them although, in other applications of analytical chemistry, instrumental analysis had already brought about a transformation in laboratory practice.

This handbook collects over 800 infrared spectra of rubbers, plastics and thermoplastics elastometers. It contains five different libraries: rubbers in trasmission spectroscopy, rubbers in pyrolysate spectroscopy, plastics in trasmission spectroscopy, plastics in pyrolysate spectroscopy, and rubbers and plastics in single-bounce ATR spectroscopy. This is an invaluable reference for the rubbers and plastics industry.

The combination of its unique morphology, physical properties, cost effectiveness and environmental friendliness make natural rubber an appealing constituent for many materials and applications. This comprehensive two volume set covers the synthesis, characterization and applications of natural rubber based blends, interpenetrating polymer networks, composites and nanocomposites. Volume 1 covers different types of natural rubber-based blends and IPNs as well as manufacturing methods, thermo mechanical characterization techniques, life cycle analysis and their applications. Volume 2 focuses on natural rubber-based composites and Nanocomposites including the different types of fillers, the filler-matrix reinforcement mechanisms, manufacturing techniques, and applications. This is the first book to consolidate the current state of the art information on natural rubber based materials with contributions from established international experts in the field. The book provides a "one stop" reference resource for professionals, researchers, industrial practitioners, graduate students, and senior undergraduates in the fields of polymer science and engineering, materials science, surface science, bioengineering and chemical engineering.

This review outlines each technique used in rubber analysis and then illustrates which methods are applied to determine which facts. This d104 is a good introduction to a very complex subject area and will enable the reader to understand the basic concepts of rubber analysis. Around 350 abstracts from the Rapra Polymer Library database accompany this review, to facilitate further reading. These include core original references together with abstracts from some of the latest papers on rubber analysis.