Synthesis and Characterization of Acrylonitrile-EPDM-1-Vinylnaphthalene Graft Terpolymer

The graft copolymerizations of acrylonitrile (AN) and 1-vinyl-naphthalene (1-VN) onto ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer (EPDM) were carried out with benzoyl peroxide (BPO) as an initiator in toluene. The effects of the mole ratio of 1-VN to AN, initiator concentration, reaction time, reaction temperature, and EPDM concentration on the graft copolymerizations were examined. The synthesized graft terpolymers, acrylonitrile-EPDM-1-vinylnaphthalene (AEV1), were identified by IR spectra. The thermal stability and tensile strength of AEV1 were greatly improved compared with those of ABS. The light resistance and weatherability of AEV1 were better than those of ABS when subjected to UV light for longer than 96 hours.