The effects of proteins and phospholipids on the network structure of natural rubber: a rheological study in bulk and in solution

PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF SPECIALTY NATURAL RUBBER LATEX CONCENTRATE

Conventionally, specialty natural rubber (SpNR) latex, namely, deproteinized natural rubber (DPNR) latex and epoxidized natural rubber (ENR) latex, are prepared from low ammonia latex (LATZ) causing high material cost. To address this issue, the objective of this study is to prepare SpNR latex directly from freshly tapped NR latex. In this work, DPNR latex is prepared via a heat enzymatic hydrolysis process, while ENR latex is prepared via in situ epoxidation chemical modification process. In addition, both DPNR and ENR latex were concentrated to 60% total solid content via ultrafiltration process using membrane separation technology. Physiochemical properties of DPNR, ENR, and LATZ latex were compared. Results show that the total solid content, dry rubber content, and alkalinity level of the latexes achieved the targeted value. This study also found that nitrogen content of DPNR latex, LATZ latex, and ENR latex were at 0.11%, 0.29%, and 0.25%, respectively, indicating successful deproteinization of the DPNR latex. On the other hand, the epoxidation level of ENR latex produced in this study was at 46.3%, which is slightly lower than the targeted level of 50%. Rheological studies found that ENR latex exhibits the highest viscosity, followed by DPNR and LATZ, but all show characteristic shear-thinning behavior. This study also found that LATZ and DPNR latex are more liquid-like in nature, while ENR latex behaves more like an elastic solid. Non-ionic surfactants play a major role in influencing flow and deformation behavior of the ENR and DPNR latex.

The Role of Non-Rubber Components on Molecular Network of Natural Rubber during Accelerated Storage

Though the non-rubber components have long been recognized to be a vital factor affecting the network of natural rubber (NR), the authentic role of non-rubber components on the network during accelerated storage has not been fully illuminated. This work attempts to clarify the impact of non-rubber components on the network for NR during accelerated storage. A natural network model for NR was proposed based on the gel content, crosslinking density, and the non-rubber components distribution for NR before and after centrifugation. Furthermore, the effect of non-rubber components on the network was investigated during accelerated storage. The results show that terminal crosslinking induced by non-rubber components and entanglements are primary factors affecting the network formation during accelerated storage. By applying the tube model to analyze the stress-strain curves of NR, we found that the contribution of the entanglements to the network formation is larger than that of terminal crosslinking during accelerated storage. The work highlights the role of non-rubber components on the network during accelerated storage, which is essential for understanding the storage hardening mechanism of NR.