橡胶绿色交联策略研究进展-应对硫化污染问题及废橡胶的高值回收

The covalent cross-linking of elastomers is the most important step for achieving high elasticity. However, there have been several inherent issues caused by traditional cross-linking methods. First, some curing additives have caused great trouble for the environment. Second, some curing additives tend to release toxic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) accompanied by unpleasant smell during sulfur vulcanization processes. Furthermore, the covalently cross-linked elastomers are inherently difficult to be recycled and reprocessed, resulting in serious environmental problems and resource waste at their end of life. To overcome the above-mentioned inherent issues, it is of great significance to put forward the concept and design strategy of green cross-linking system. In this review, the problems of traditional vulcanization methods were introduced first, and focused on the research progress on green cross-linking strategies of rubber. It mainly included the strategy about the design of cross-linked diene-typed elastomers based on hydrolyzable ester cross-links. The cross-linking sites could be based on the epoxy groups or carboxyl groups rather than the double bonds, while bio-based and green dicarboxylic acid or epoxidized soybean oil could serve as cross-linker instead of sulfur, resulting in crosslinking networks containing ester linkages. Finally, the challenges and future prospects in this newly emerging field were prospected.