ADVANCES IN TECHNIQUES AND APPLICATIONS OF RUBBER SURFACE GRAFTING MODIFICATION

ABSTRACT To meet the requirement in the application of medical devices, composites, biomaterials, corrosion resistance, and selective adsorptions, rubber surface modification is usually indispensable. Grafting treatment is one of most significate treatment methods. In this paper, we focus on rubber surface grafting modification, including grafting techniques and applications. Different grafting methods—including monomer grafting polymerization and coupling reaction—are covered and compared briefly. The related applications of surface grafting modification techniques, such as improving compatibility of waste rubber as fillers, hydrophobicity and lipophilicity of sponge rubber for oil–water separation, biocompatibility of rubber in the medical field, and forming surface patterns, are demonstrated in detail. The new research directions of surface grafting techniques as well as main challenges in application are also discussed.