Chemours announced the commercial availability of Viton VTR-9307, a new, bisphenol-cured fluorinated rubber pre-compound for the production of fluoroelastomer (FKM) parts with long-term resistance to hot acidic gases and condensates. Chemours is a wholly-owned subsidiary of DuPont and is on track to be spun off on July 1, 2015, which will create a new independent public company.
The new product combines the advantages of high temperature and chemical resistance with the added acid resistance necessary for applications such as EGR sensors, positive crankcase ventilation (PCV), diesel particulate filters, gaskets for charge air coolers, intake pipes, EGR coolers and quick connectors, in addition to O-rings and sleeves for air flow elements. Before now, higher-priced peroxide cross-linked FKM were required for these applications.
The advantages of Viton VTR-9307 are based on innovative technology developed by Chemours. The product can be used without the addition of conventional metal oxide activators to avoid the extreme swelling caused by these activators when exposed to organic acids.
Elastomers produced on the basis of Viton VTR-9307 swell only slightly under such conditions (e.g. <5 % in 1N acetic acid). Mechanical properties of these products such as tensile strength, elongation at break, hardness and compression set, which are similar to the properties of peroxide-crosslinked FKM, are also largely unaffected by long-term exposure to organic acids. Viton VTR-9307 fluorinated rubber pre-compounds do not require any classic metal oxide activators. However, when added in small quantities for the purpose of improving cure, and consequently enhancing properties such as compression set and heat resistance, the acid resistance and elongation of the vulcanizate at break are not significantly affected. “This new Viton fluoroelastomer pre-compound offers a cost-effective solution versus peroxide cured FKM used for many demanding applications especially in the automotive industry,” concludes Jean-Marc Imbert, Global Product Manager, Fluoroelastomers at Chemours.