Keltan 9565Q is a new ethylene-propylene-diene rubber (EPDM) from synthetic rubber pioneer LANXESS that features a particularly high molecular weight. Thanks to its outstanding heat & UV-stability and damping properties, Keltan 9565Q can even challenge natural rubber (NR), which is hard to beat in terms of dynamic properties, in certain applications such as engine mountings.

“Rubber is a versatile material which is used in key applications like dynamic mounts, muffler hangers and torsional dampers, that require high resilience and excellent vibration isolation,” says Oliver Osborne, head of Global Marketing at the LANXESS business unit Keltan Elastomers. “Very soft, highly elastic elastomers that require virtually no fillers are needed for these applications, as otherwise internal friction can cause overheating. Consequently, natural rubber has mostly been used in engine mountings up till now,” explains Osborne. But this rubber is increasingly experiencing difficulties due to ever higher temperatures in the engine compartment that cause aging of the natural rubber part over time, despite the use of special antioxidants.

This is where Keltan 9565Q from LANXESS comes in. It is a well-known fact that, as a saturated terpolymer, EPDM exhibits excellent heat & UV stability. Despite this, it has not been possible to use this material more widely in e.g. engine mounts because of its limited dynamic performance. “With Keltan 9565Q, we have found a good option for solving this problem. This EPDM grade has ultra-high molecular weight which results in excellent physical & dynamic properties. The very long molecules interlink extremely effectively, which means that the polymer network is very resilient and without adding a lot of reinforcing fillers resulting in highly elastic compounds for perfect engine mounting,” explains Osborne.

“Keltan 9565Q vulcanizates exhibit dynamic properties that existing EPDM grades can not achieve. Consequently, we believe we have found a highly aging-resistant synthetic rubber that can match the dynamic properties of natural rubber. The product is also a prime example of our strategy to open up new applications for EPDM with new high-performance products,” concludes the rubber expert from LANXESS.

Keltan 9565Q is produced at the LANXESS site in Orange, Texas, United States. If all goes according to schedule, it will be available for delivery in the second half of 2013.