(1) JAPAN ADVANCED INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY - Ishikawa - Japan
Interphase transfer of a tackifier composed of coumarone and indene between natural rubber (NR) and poly(isobutylene) (PIB) was demonstrated using laminated sheets, in which both rubber sheets contain 10 phr of the tackifier. During annealing procedure, the tackifier moves from one rubber to another, which depends on the ambient temperatures. After the annealing, the piled sheets are easily separated owing to the immiscible nature. Therefore, the glass transition temperature (Tg) of each sheet is evaluated by the dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), as the peak temperature of the tensile loss modulus E”. It is found that the tackifier distribution in the rubbers can be controlled by the temperature. This technique will be applicable to prepare the all-season’s tire, which shows low Tg in winter and high Tg in summer.