New Era Of Thermoplastic Vulcanizate Alloy For Sponge Application

Abstract

The main objective of this review is to describe some of the important topics related to the thermoplastic vulcanizate alloy sponge
for automotive application. Thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV) is a special class of thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) made of a
rubber/plastic polymer mixture in which the rubber phase is highly vulcanized. TPVs represent the second largest group of soft
thermoplastic elastomers, after styrenic-based block copolymers. TPVs have undergone evolutionary changes in terms of the
selection of polymers, design of crosslinking, compounding techniques, and methods of production, and have achieved better
elastic recovery, easy processability and low hardness etc. Currently, TPV is replacing EPDM rubber dramatically because of the
impressive advantages for automotive sealing applications. Some of the advantages of TPV compared to that of EPDM rubber are
good gloss, recyclability, improved color ability, shorter cycle time, and design flexibility. The development of TPV foaming
technology is to fulfill the requirement of achieving lower cost, lighter weight, and better fuel economy. Foaming of TPV has not
been investigated extensively. The complete dissolution of the blowing agent in the molten polymer is the most critical step in TPV
foaming processing, and this strongly depends on the solubility of the blowing agent, the saturation pressure, the degree of
mixing, and residence time. Experimental results will be used to determine optimized TPV formulations to ensure good
foamability, while retaining the properties of TPV.