Preventing discoloration in an elastomer rubber

摘要

A process for producing a vulcanized elastomeric rubber composition that minimizes or eliminates the appearance of discoloration on the surface of the rubber, and the products formed from this process are disclosed. The process includes the incorporation of polar functional groups into the elastomeric rubber by grafting the functional groups onto a compound miscible in the rubber. It is believed that the polar functional groups increase the solubility of the compounds responsible for iridescence and blooming observed in vulcanized rubber and decrease their migration to the rubber surface. Additional techniques for reducing or eliminating undesirable discoloration in rubber are disclosed.