Abstract: The non-isothermal crosslinking of hydrogenated styrene-butadiene-styrene block copolymer (SEBS) in present of benzoyl peroxide (BPO) was studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis. The thermal kinetics of the reaction was analyzed using model-free methods including Friedman, Ozawa-Flynn-Wall, and Kissinger methods and the initial kinetic parameters were calculated. The precise parameters were also obtained by using model-fitting method via multivariate nonlinear regression analysis. Three steps in the crosslinking reaction of SEBS were identified with the activation energies becoming smaller. It showed that the crosslinking degree of SEBS could be controlled by varying the reaction temperature and time.

Key words: hydrogenated styrene-butadiene-styrene block copolymer, chemical crosslinking, thermal analysis kinetics