STUDY ON THE PROPERTIES OF BLEND OF NATURAL RUBBER LATEX/METHYL METHACRYLATE GRAFTED RUBBER LATEX BY GAMMA RADIATION

Natural rubber latex （NRL） and methyl methacrylate （MMA） grafted rubber latex were blended in different ratios and irradiated at various absorbed doses by gamma rays from Co-60 source at room temperature. The tensile properties, swelling ratio and permanent set were measured. The maximum tensile strength and modulus at 500% elongation were obtained at an absorbed dose of 8 kGy. Modulus increases from 6.99 MPa to 9.87 MPa for an increase in proportion of MMA grafted rubber from 40% to 60% in the blend at similar absorbed dose. Elongation at break and swelling ratio decrease with increasing absorbed dose as well as the MMA grafted rubber content in the blends. The decreasing trend of permanent set is high up to 5 kGy absorbed dose, and beyond that dose, it becomes almost flat.

Modification of Natural Rubber Latex by Graft Copolymerization of 2-Ethylhexyl Acrylate and Methacrylic Acid

Natural rubber(NR)grafted with 2-ethylhexyl acrylate(2-EHA)and methacrylic acid(MAA,collectively NR-g-PEHA/MAA)was synthesized by emulsion polymerization.Tetraethylenepentamine and cumene hydroperoxide were used as redox initiators.The successful grafting of 2-EHA and MAA onto NR was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.The morphology of the NR latex particles was observed by transmission electron microscopy.The effects of reaction temperature,initiator dosage,feeding mode,and hard monomer content on the mechanical properties of the modified NR film were investigated.Grafted polymer chains were unevenly wrapped on the outside of NR particles,and smaller particles were more easily grafted.Crosslinking was characterized using a toluene swelling method.Thermal stability and glass transition temperature were examined by differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis.The results showed that the thermal stability of NR-g-PEHA/MAA had been improved,and the glass transition temperature(Tg)was unchanged.

Reinforcement of natural rubber latex with silica modified by cerium oxide:preparation and properties

Variable masses of nano cerium oxide (CeO2) were added into nano silica (SiO2) to prepare the well-dispersed SiO2-CeO2 suspension (SiO2-CeO2), cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) was used to adjust the compatibility of SiO2-CeO2 with rubber matrix, then SiO2-CeO2 modified by CTAB and curing formulas were mixed with fresh natural rubber (NR) latex to prepare NR/SiO2-CeO2 nanocomposites that contained 0–10 parts of CeO2 by a new emulsion compounding method. The morphologies, cure characteristics, mechanical properties and thermal-oxidative stability of NR/SiO2-CeO2 nanocomposites were investigated. The re-sults revealed that the presence of CeO2 in NR/SiO2-CeO2nanocomposites was favorable for enhancing the interaction between NR matrix and fillers, helped to get smaller SiO2-CeO2 particles with narrower particle size distribution, further improved the crosslink densities and mechanical properties of NR/SiO2-CeO2 nanocomposites vulcanizates. Meanwhile, the addition of CeO2 increased the active energy at least 4.66%, obviously improved the thermal-oxidative aging-inhibiting properties of NR/SiO2-CeO2 nanocomposites. Additionally, nanocomposites containing CeO2 promotedTg shift to high temperature direction, causing the nanocomposites featured higher tanδ at 0 oC and lower tanδ at 60 oC and exhibited comparable wet grip and lower rolling resistance when NR/SiO2-CeO2nano-composites were used in tire tread compound.