Evaluation of thermal and radiation stability of EPDM in the presence of some algal powders

Abstract

In this paper, ecological-friendly materials based on ethylene–propylene–diene terpolymer (EPDM) with improved thermal and radiation stabilities by Chlorella vulgaris (CV) and Spirulina platensis (SP) powders were investigated by complementary procedures: FTIR spectroscopy and isothermal and nonisothermal chemiluminescence (CL). The stabilization potential of microalgae was evaluated at several degrees of γ-radiolysis by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay, while the polymer resistances were studied on a large range of algal concentrations (1, 3, 5 and 10 mass%). The carbonyl and hydroxyl indices of all degraded EPDM formulations were found to be two times smaller in the presence of algal powders, if compared to the pristine material. Some dissimilarities between the oxidation development in pristine and modified EPDM appeared, especially in unirradiated samples. The activation energies required for the oxidation of EPDM and the lifetime of these samples at various temperatures between room temperature and 100 °C were calculated. The antioxidant compounds existing in the studied microalgae proved a significant influence on the stability of EPDM, mainly in the presence of SP, which was confirmed by the activation energies calculated from our CL results. The investigation of cycling thermal degradation revealed the obvious contribution of additives towards delaying EPDM ageing.