Kinetic analysis of nonisothermal degradation of acrylonitrile–butadiene/ethylene–propylene–diene rubber blends reinforced with carbon black filler

The nonisothermal degradation process of acrylonitrile–butadiene/ethylene–propylene–diene rubber blends reinforced with carbon black filler was investigated with thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and derivative thermogravimetry (DTG), using the different calculation procedures. Using different isoconversional methods, it was found that the degradation of the 50 phr loaded carbon black in NBR/EPDM (80/20) blend represents the complex process, where exists the conversion region with a constant value of the apparent activation energy (E_a). It was found that the degradation process of the carbon black‐loaded polymer blend under nitrogen atmosphere, can be described by the three‐(D3) dimensional diffusion mechanism. Good agreement was observed between the experimental and calculated differential (rate) conversion curves, for the investigated degradation process. It was established that the considered polymer blend which have high contents of the carbon black (50 phr carbon black), shows very strong self‐protective behavior (i.e., in the formation of a protective barrier). POLYM. COMPOS., 2012. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers