Investigation of “Zn2+ salt‐bondings” cross linked ENR with shape memory effect via ionic interactions

In this article, the method of using zinc ionomer as the vulcanizing agent and the addition of metal salt to form Zn2+ salt‐bondings is proposed. The formation of Zn2+ salt‐bondings in the elastomer causes further self‐aggregation of ion pair Zn2+, resulting in ionic cross linking network. This cross‐linking is very effective in increasing the strength of rubber. Additionally, dissipated energy during the loading‐unloading process also increases, and more importantly, Tg increases with the higher cross‐link density. The tunable and comparatively broad tanδ peak makes such materials potentially useful in the fabrication of damping material with multishape memory properties. Therefore this study opens up an efficient and easy way to improve the performance of rubber and functional applications. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 59:E367–E374, 2019.