Abstract
Thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) is an elastomer at room temperature, and can be molded at high temperature as well as thermoplastics. But the compression set of TPE is higher than that of crosslinked rubber.
In this study, we tried crosslinking of thermoplastic polyamide-polyether elastomer (TPAE) with diglycidyl or triglycidyl compounds during its extrusion to improve its high compression set. Crosslinked TPAE could be molded easily in single screw extruder. The tensile strength, tensile impact strength, heat resistance and chemical resistance of the molded TRAE were found to be higher than those of the original TPAE respectively. It was confirmed that ruptured cross section view of crosslinked TPAE by scanning electron microscope was smoother than that of the original TPAE. The compression set of TPAE was improved by 1/3 compared to the original TPAE.
