Effect of SILPs on the Vulcanization and Properties of Ethylene-Propylene-Diene Elastomer

Ionic liquids (ILs) are increasingly used in elastomer technology due to unique physico-chemical properties, which are stable at the temperature of preparation and during processing of rubber compounds. The latest IL application concept is supported ionic liquid-phase (SILP) materials, where an IL film is immobilized on the solid phase. The main aim of this work was studying the influence of IL immobilized on the surface of solid supports, such as silica and carbon black, on the vulcanization process, mechanical properties, and thermal behavior of ethylene–propylene–diene (EPDM) elastomer. Application of the SILP materials enabled the control of EPDM vulcanization without deterioration of the crosslink density, damping properties, thermal stability, and resistance of the vulcanizates to thermo-oxidative aging. Slight improvements in the tensile strength and hardness of the vulcanizates were observed.

Hydrotalcite Anchored Ruthenium Catalyst for CO2 Hydrogenation Reaction

We developed a series of new organic-inorganic hybrid hydrotalcite functionalized Ru catalytic systems. All the developed materials have been studied by FTIR, N2 physisorption, ICP-OES, XPS, NMR (1H, 13C, 29Si) and TEM analysis were performed to know the physiochemical behavior and structural morphology of functionalized hydrotalcite materials. XPS results strongly suggest that it involves the formation of N-Ru coordination bonds. We applied these well analyzed materials for CO2 hydrogenation reaction as catalyst (with and without ionic liquid medium). We found that Ru metal containing functionalized hydrotalcite materials were highly active and stable (in terms of catalyst leaching and recycling). The heterogeneous catalyst can be easily recovered and reused 8 times without significant loss of catalytic activity and selectivity, which is a better green alternative for practical applications.