Hydrogenated acrylonitrile–butadiene rubber (HNBR) is widely used in automotive and sealing applications due to its oil resistance and mechanical durability; however, its long-term performance is significantly influenced by the curing chemistry. Sulfur vulcanization offers superior elasticity but restricted thermal stability, while peroxide curing improves heat resistance at the expense of flexibility. In this study, we investigate hybrid sulfur–peroxide curing to integrate these benefits. The hybrid pathway encompasses competitive and sequential processes, such as partial radical quenching and accelerator oxidation, resulting in a dual crosslink network. Dynamic mechanical, thermal, and temperature scanning stress relaxation (TSSR) evaluations demonstrate that hybrid systems provide precise modulation of the operational temperature–frequency range, broaden the glass-transition relaxation, and control stress dissipation. The coexistence of sulfur and C–C crosslinks results in a heterogeneous structure characterized by diverse crosslink densities and bond energies, leading to numerous relaxation modes and an optimal blend of elasticity, strength, and thermal stability. Microscopy confirms the absence of phase separation, indicating that hybrid vulcanization is a viable approach for producing robust, high-performance HNBR elastomers.

The present study has proposed a straightforward method to improve the reprocessability of modified natural rubber (NR) by blending it with gelatin (GT). The reprocessable characteristics of these blends were evaluated based on their remolding capabilities and mechanical recovery performance. In this method, poly(vinylbenzyl chloride) (PVBC) was first grafted onto NR chains to create graft copolymers known as NR-g-PVBC. The benzyl chloride groups in the graft copolymers were subsequently converted into quaternary ammonium groups, referred to as NR-g-QPVBC. This modification enabled ionic crosslinking when NR-g-QPVBC reacted with ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid. Blends were created by incorporating GT powder into the NR-g-QPVBC latex. The optimal loading level of GT was determined to be 30 wt%, as the resulting film exhibited the highest recovery of tensile properties. Initially, the film's tensile strength was measured at 15 MPa. After being remolded at 160 °C, the tensile strength decreased to 9.3 MPa, resulting in a recovery rate of 60.7% and withstanding a tensile strain of 144%. Although the NR-g-QPVBC/GT films could be remolded, their tensile properties declined with increasing remolding cycles. Therefore, this work demonstrated a practical method for producing NR-based films that could be reshaped through hot-pressing after being formed into products, increasing their reusability.

In this work, we have developed a novel absorbent material using chitosan (CS), and further it was structurally modified via reaction with thiocarbaldehyde, forming a Schiff base intermediate. Simultaneously, graphene oxide was functionalized at the C-6 position of CS through an effective esterification process and composited with the incorporation of molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) nanoparticles to synthesize a hybrid adsorbent material. The resulting material was characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The synthesized adsorbent was subjected to the adsorptive removal of Cu(II) and Cr(VI) ions from dilute solutions. The maximum uptake of 66.66 mg/g for Cu(II) and 76.92 mg/g for Cr(VI) were recorded during the adsorption process, further following pseudo-second-order kinetics adsorptive nature and fitted well with the Langmuir isotherm model. Desorption studies indicated the material’s reusability, and the thermodynamic studies indicated a spontaneity with an endothermic adsorptive nature. These studies highlight the material’s potential as an effective adsorbent as a sustainable approach for efficient environmental remediation.

This is an editorial article. It has no abstract.

This is an editorial article. It has no abstract.