Curing and thermal ageing of elastomers as studied by 1H broadband and 13C high-resolution solid-state NMR

Curing and thermal ageing of EPDM synthetic elastomers has been studied using both 13C high-resolution and 1H wideline solid-state NMR experiments based on structural and dynamic parameter measurements. It is shown that cross-linking, scission and oxidation reactions can be clearly identified and quantified at concentrations as low as a few tenths percent of the carbon content. The feasibility and efficiency of two-dimensional WISE experiment for studying ageing of heterogeneous polymer-based systems has been demonstrated providing unique chemical specific dynamic information.