Effects of different ammonium lignosulfonate contents on the crystallization, rheological behaviors, and thermal and mechanical properties of ethylene propylene diene monomer/polypropylene/ammonium lignosulfonate composites

Thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), made from ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) and poly-propylene (PP) based on reactive blending, has an excellent processing performance and characteristics and a wide range of applications. However, there are currently no reports in the literature regarding the usage of TPE in making composite boards. In this paper, EPDM, PP, and ammonium lignosulfonate (AL) were used as the raw materials, poly-ethylene wax was used as the plasticizer, and a dicumyl peroxide vulcanization system with dynamic vulcanization was used to make a new kind of composite material. This research studied the influences of the AL contents on the crystallization behaviors, rheological properties, thermal properties, and mechanical properties of the composites. The results showed that the AL content had a noticeable impact on the performance of the composite board. Accordingly, this kind of composite material can be used as an elastomer material for the core layer of laminated flooring.