Adhesive accelerator is a material that is added to adhesives in small amounts to hasten their curing process. The original versions of this product were first used back in the 19th century. However, inorganic compounds are used in formulating them which was found to potentially cause health risks. The good news is that accelerators of today are made from organic or less harmful compounds. They are made using elastomers from late systems that can significantly reduce temperature and cure time. They are found to be very useful as a crosslinking agent in influencing final performance properties of the product.
The term accelerator is most often confused with other similar products in the adhesive industry such as curing agents, hardeners, and catalysts. This is why it is important to know the right classification of adhesive accelerator that you need for your specific application. In this particular case, we are going to identify the best option for rubbers.
Classification of Accelerators for Rubbers
The most predominant agent used alongside rubbers is elemental sulfur, which is also utilized in conjunction with one or more accelerators and activator systems that contain fatty acid and zinc oxide. In this case, the top options for this accelerator include thiazoles, guanidine’s, thiuram sulfides, and delayed-action sulfonamides. Some parts of the sulfur to be used can be replaced with a sulfur donor material like a thiuram disulfide.
What dictates the rate of vulcanization is the accelerator itself but what determines the efficiency of the vulcanization is the ratio of accelerator to sulfur. This in effect, also determines the thermal stability of the vulcanization. The most common elastomer that can be vulcanized is chloroprene. This can be achieved through the performance of metal oxides used in the process like zinc oxide. Because of this, it becomes possible to use the compound, many variants of the same adhesive accelerator are utilized with sulfur vulcanization systems for rubbers.
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