An oxygenated rubber derivative as a compatibilizer for the preparation of polymer films

The preparation of multilayered polymer films is of significant interest for various applications, but is often hindered by the inherent incompatibilities between polymers. Described here is the use of an epoxidized butyl rubber as a compatibilizer layer. This polymer can be coated onto butyl rubber, despite the small number of epoxidized units (~2.2 mol%), allows for the deposition of uniform layers of a diverse array of polymers including poly(vinyl stearate) (PVS), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), polycaprolactone (PCL), and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO). The films on epoxidized rubber were compared with those prepared directly on unmodified rubber using techniques including atomic force microscopy and contact angle measurements. In addition, in the case of PEO, it was demonstrated that the uniformity of the coating plays a significant role in conferring the desirable property of resistance to protein adsorption. Thus, this oxygenated rubber derivative may serve as a versatile material for various coating applications.