Mechanical characteristics epoxidised natural rubber latex film Available to Purchase

Natural Rubber (NR) is a type of polymer obtained from the latex sap of the rubber tree Hevea Brasiliensis. It is an elastomer consisting of cis 1,4 polyisoprene long polymer chain that possesses the ability to recover to its original length after being stretched to a certain extent. Mechanically, NR is known for its hyperelasticity, tear resistance and high tensile strength. However, NR lacks specialty features such as resistance to heat, oxygen and hydrophobic solvent which promoted the needs of synthetic rubber. Therefore, to pursue a sustainable polymer with biobased raw material, modified NR for instance Epoxidised Natural Rubber Latex (ENRL) is developed through the introduction of hydrophilic groups into the isoprene backbone showed improved resistance towards oil penetrability and gas permeability when compared with its predecessor neat NR. This study aims to investigate the mechanical characteristics of ENRL films fabricated through latex casting and dipping methods. To this end, the effects of varying cross-linking agent on the resulting glass transition temperature and mechanical characteristics were evaluated. Glass transition temperature of the ENRL films were characterised by Dynamic Mechanical Analyzer (DMA) operated under tension control mode. Variations of sulphur loadings in ENRL films have little effect on storage modulus and tan δ of the samples however, both the parameters were found to increase with sulphur loadings due to the increased in crosslinked density. The determination of cross-linking density was calculated through the values of storage modulus at room temperature obtained from DMA test. This is to further verify the relationship between crosslinked density in conjunction with the loading of cross-linking agent.