Dielectric Behavior of Aluminum Hydroxide-Filled Oil-Extended Ethylene-Propylene-Diene-Monomer Rubber Composites in Microwave Fields

摘要

Oil-extended ethylene-propylene-diene rubber composites were prepared with aluminum hydroxide (ATH) and high abrasion furnace carbon black. The dielectric properties at microwave frequencies of the samples were measured in the S (2-4 GHz) band using cavity perturbation technique. The thermal stability of the composites was studied using thermogravimetric analysis. The morphology of the composites was investigated by scanning electron microscopic studies. The fire retardancy of the composites was identified through the limiting oxygen index and horizontal burning test (UL94 HB). The dielectric permittivity, AC conductivity, and absorption coefficient of the highly ATH loaded systems are much greater than the unfilled and lower systems. At higher loading, the dielectric heating coefficient and skin depth were found to decrease significantly. The incorporation of ATH was found to improve the thermal stability and flame retardancy of EPDM.