Abstract
A novel method for producing a cellular cured rubber product at room temperature has been developed. Pourable liquid polysulfide polymers are treated with a conventional oxidizing curative and selected water-sensitive or oxidation-sensitive blowing agents. Standing at ambient temperature the viscous liquid mixture gradually “rises” and cures to form a finely porous cellular rubber product. Conventional curatives employed include oxidizing agents such as lead peroxide and cumene hydroperoxide. These convert terminal or pendant thiol groups in the polysulfide polymer chains to chain-connecting disulfide linkages. Water is a byproduct of the curing reaction. In the presence of water-sensitive blowing agents such as, (1) metal salts of azodicarboxylic acid or, (2) metal hydride compounds the water produced in the cure reacts to form copious amounts of nitrogen or of hydrogen. Alternatively, oxidation-sensitive blowing agents such as p, p′-oxybis-(benzene sulfonyl hydrazide) react directly with the oxidizing curative to form nitrogen gas. The blowing reactions are concurrent with cure and efficient and controllable expansion can be achieved. The unique process offers possible economies and special properties in applications of liquid polysulfide rubbers as potting compounds, joint sealants, solvent resistant forms, and cold casting compounds.