Surface Modification of EPDM Rubber by Mediated Electrochemical Oxidation Using Ce(IV)

Surface modification of EPDM rubber was studied by mediated electrochemical oxidation (MEO) technique using Ce(III)/Ce(IV) redox couple. Ce(III) ions were electrochemically converted to the highly active Ce(IV) ions in an electro-membrane cell and then Ce(IV) ions were reduced back by contacting with the EPDM surface chains leaving a modified EPDM surface. The chemical structure, roughness and hydrophilicity of the EPDM film were examined by ATR-FTIR, AFM and contact angle measurement, respectively. The surface polarity, functional groups and roughness of the EPDM were changed significantly while the contact angle reduced from 94.2 to 53.3 degree by MEO

Keywords:

Surface modification , EPDM , mediated electrochemical oxidation , cerium ion , red-ox