摘要：

Among the many environmental problems which mankind faces in the XXI century is the problem of environmental sustainability and management of the tremendous amount of generated polymer waste, especially waste of crosslinked polymers, and the replacement of petroleum-based polymers by bio-based polymer products. Recycling of the crosslinked rubber and plastic wastes is one of the major problems. The presence of a three-dimensional network in the crosslinked polymers prevents their direct recycling through flow and shaping upon heating and shearing. New techniques were developed to convert the crosslinked polymers into flowable and, therefore, reprocessable materials. This was done through development of novel technologies for continuous decrosslinking of rubbers and thermoset plastics by application of high power ultrasonic waves in extrusion processes to break chemical bonds at the residence time on the order of seconds. The rheological properties, molecular structure, curing characteristics, morphology and mechanical performance of reprocessed materials were studied and mechanisms of the ultrasonic effect and process models were proposed. Recent research activities were also directed to the development of technology to replace nonrenewable petroleum oils by bio-based renewable oils in manufacturing of rubber and plastic products to further reduce the dependence of the polymer industry on petroleum based oils. The modification of soybean oils by means of the reaction that makes them compatible with polymers was used to provide environmental and mechanical performance. Preliminary results on comparative analysis of the glass transition, rheology and curing behavior of unfilled and carbon black filled rubber compounds containing naphthenic oil, soybean oil and modified soybean oil were obtained. The vulcanizates prepared from the compounds containing the modified soybean oil exhibited a significant improvement in their thermal stability and mechanical performance in comparison with the vulcanizates containing the naphthenic oil. The obtained results indicated significant potentials in the replacement of petroleum oils by modified soybean oils in rubber formulations.

Dr. Avraam I. Isayev is Distinguished Professor of Polymer Engineering at University of Akron and Editor-in-Chief of Advances in Polymer Technology. He received his Ph.D. in Polymer Science and Engineering, Institute of Petrochemical Synthesis of USSR Academy of Sciences, Moscow; M.Sc. in Applied Mathematics, Institute of Electronic Machine Building, Moscow, USSR; M.Sc.in Chemical Engineering, Azerbaijan Institute of Oil and Chemistry, Baku, USSR. Prior to joining the University in 1983, Isayev conducted research at Cornell University, Israel Institute of Technology, USSR Academy of Sciences, and State Research Institute of Nitrogenic Industry, USSR. His research interests focus in polymer and composite processing, process modeling, rheo-optics, rheology and constitutive equations of polymers, oil products and disperse systems; the injection, co-injection, transfer, compression and gas-assisted injection molding; processing of self-reinforced or in-situ composites based on blends of flexible and thermotropic liquid crystalline polymers; decrosslinking of thermosets, devulcanization of rubbers and in-situ copolymer formation in immiscible blends with the aid of ultrasonic waves; high temperature and high performance nanocomposites. Isayev has co-authored 2 editions of 1 monograph, edited or co-edited 7 books, published over 240 papers in referred journals, 33 chapters in books, 7 papers in encyclopedias, 160 papers in referred conference proceedings. He holds 26 patents. He advised 42 PhD, 39 MS students and 29 postdocs and visiting scientists. He serves on editorial and advisory boards of many journals. His research was featured in the Boston Globe, Plastics Technology, Rubber and Plastics News, AAAS Science Update, Popular Science, Business Week, Architect Magazine, Tire Technology International, PBS TV and other publications around the world. Isayev is the recipient of the Young Scientist Award (Moscow), the OMNOVA Solutions Signature University Award from the OMNOVA Solutions Foundation, The Melvin Mooney Distinguished Technology Award and The Stafford Whitby Award from Rubber Division of the ACS, the Silver Medal from the Institute of Materials (London), the Vinogradov Prize from the G. V. Vinogradov Society of Rheology (Moscow), the NorTech Award given by Crane Publishers, James L. White Award of Polymer processing Society and the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) International Award. He is Fellow of the SPE.