Stabilization Effects of Natural Compounds and Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane Nanoparticles on the Accelerated Degradation of Ethylene-Propylene-Diene Monomer

In this work the analysis on the stabilization activities of some natural antioxidants (rosemary extract, capsaicin, quercetin or oleanolic acid) is presented. A similar contribution of an inorganic structure—polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) nanoparticles—is also evaluated. The stabilization effects on the oxidation protection were investigated for several formulations based on ethylene-propylene-diene-terpolymer (EPDM). The samples were examined in pristine state or after γ-irradiation, when the accelerated degradation scission of polymer macromolecules followed by the mitigation of oxidation. Three evaluation procedures: chemiluminescence, FTIR spectroscopy and thermal analysis were applied for the characterization of stability efficiency. The delaying effect of oxidative aging in EPDM matrix is illustrated by the values of activation energy, which are correlated with the type and concentration of embedded compounds. The durability of studied EPDM formulations is discussed for the assessment of material life. The improved behavior of structured hybrids useful for the optimization application regimes is essentially based on the antioxidant properties of polyphenolic components in the cases of natural antioxidants or on the penetration of free radical intermediates into the free volumes of POSS.