| Development of breathable elastomeric membranes based upon butyl rubber (IIR) compounds was investigated. These semi-permeable membranes were produced by electrospinning the compounded butyl rubber under appropriate conditions. They were designed to be selectively permeable. Specifically, these elastomeric membranes allowed moisture vapor transport, while maintaining a barrier against liquid water. Additionally, the conductive nature of carbon black in the compounds was shown to allow greater control over membrane thickness than generally observed in electrospun fabrics. Data were presented to show that the excellent chemical resistance of butyl rubber to organic solvents and toxic agents was maintained despite the porous nature of the membranes. Air flow resistance could also be adjusted as functions of processing conditions which related to fiber diameter and porosity of the membrane. Mechanical properties, in addition to various transport properties, are compared to a butyl rubber baseline. The moisture vapor transport properties are compared to expanded PTFE films. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of thermoset elastomeric membranes for producing flexible, selectively permeable barriers. Moreover, It also shows the capability to produce nonwoven materials for applications requiring high elongation (stretch) and porosity.; In most elastomer formulations, carbon black is used as filler because of its reinforcing properties. The addition of carbon was also found to be important in the electrospinning of butyl rubber. Carbon black typically results in improved mechanical properties for rubber compounds, however, its conductive properties can also play a role in the resulting fiber structure during the electrospinning process. Carbon black loadings were varied from 0, 25, 50, and 75 parts per hundred rubber (phr). Increased carbon black loading resulted in a larger process window and reduced density and bead formation. Tensile modulus (corrected for changes in density) increased with increasing carbon black loading. Elongation of butyl rubber mats decreased at higher carbon black levels, however, more than 1000% was observed in all cases. |
