Abstract Nitrile rubber is considered the workhorse of the automotive rubber industry, thanks to its chemical resistance and mechanical performance. However, applications such as hoses, seals or gaskets are prone to damage, limiting their lifetime. In this work, carboxylated nitrile rubber (XNBR) was ionically crosslinked with zinc oxide (ZnO), forming ionic domains grouped into ionic clusters. These clusters have the advantage of being reversible under the application of an external stimulus such as temperature, conferring the material a certain self-healing capability and enabling a lifecycle extension. Ground tire rubber selectively modified by grafting of poly(acrylic acid) (gGTR), was added to XNBR-ZnO compounds with the aim of improving the healing properties of the rubber matrix. The incorporation of acid groups contributed to the formation of additional ionic clusters during the crosslinking process, resulting in a notorious increase in healing efficiency from 15% for the XNBR-ZnO to 70% for the XNBR-ZnO-gGTR compound. Chemical and mechanical resistance were also evaluated, showing that the addition of a waste material like gGTR keeps mechanical strength suitable for many applications; meanwhile, it does not deteriorate its resistance to aliphatic solvents such as motor oil and gasoline. These promising results open the path for developing sustainable rubber products with extended lifetime and applicable within the automotive industry.

中文翻译：

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在丁腈橡胶中实现自愈的有效且可持续的方法

摘要 丁腈橡胶因其耐化学性和机械性能而被认为是汽车橡胶行业的主力军。然而，软管、密封件或垫圈等应用容易损坏，从而限制了它们的使用寿命。在这项工作中，羧化丁腈橡胶 (XNBR) 与氧化锌 (ZnO) 进行离子交联，形成了分组为离子簇的离子域。这些簇的优点是在外部刺激（如温度）的应用下是可逆的，赋予材料一定的自愈能力，并能够延长生命周期。通过接枝聚（丙烯酸）（gGTR）选择性改性的磨碎轮胎橡胶被添加到 XNBR-ZnO 化合物中，目的是提高橡胶基质的愈合性能。酸基团的加入有助于在交联过程中形成额外的离子簇，导致愈合效率从 XNBR-ZnO 的 15% 提高到 XNBR-ZnO-gGTR 化合物的 70%。还评估了耐化学性和机械性，表明添加像 gGTR 这样的废料可以保持适合许多应用的机械强度；同时，它不会降低对脂肪族溶剂（如机油和汽油）的耐受性。这些有希望的结果为开发具有更长使用寿命且适用于汽车行业的可持续橡胶产品开辟了道路。还评估了耐化学性和机械性，表明添加像 gGTR 这样的废料可以保持适合许多应用的机械强度；同时，它不会降低对脂肪族溶剂（如机油和汽油）的耐受性。这些有希望的结果为开发具有更长使用寿命且适用于汽车行业的可持续橡胶产品开辟了道路。还评估了耐化学性和机械性，表明添加像 gGTR 这样的废料可以保持适合许多应用的机械强度；同时，它不会降低对脂肪族溶剂（如机油和汽油）的耐受性。这些有希望的结果为开发具有更长使用寿命且适用于汽车行业的可持续橡胶产品开辟了道路。