Moisture and solvent uptake in various types of rubber

The moisture uptake in rubber is investigated by using the equilibrium weight content method. This method helps us to find out the maximum fluid that can be absorbed by the two rubber samples, which are natural rubber and silicone rubber. The differences in water content for both rubbers are given by their matrix composition. Silicone rubber show more resistance to fluid compared to natural rubber due to its complex helical shape. Ficks’ Law was also used to know the diffusity, D of fluid in of each sample. From this study too, we could find out the behavior of rubbers in different environments as well. Distilled water, toluene, ethanol, triethyl amine and ethanol amine are used as sources of fluid. The samples exhibited various behaviours such as swelling and shrinking as a result. Natural rubber dissolved in toluene and triethyl amine. Overall, the study proved that silicone rubber is a better water resistant compared natural rubber and different solvent have different effect on rubbers