Effect of non‐rubber components on the mechanical properties of natural rubber |
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| Authors: | Yuanbing Zhou Kenichiro Kosugi Yoshimasa Yamamoto Seiichi Kawahara |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Materials Science and Technology, Faculty of Engineering, Nagaoka University of Technology, Nagaoka, Niigata, Japan;2. Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tokyo National College of Technology, Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan |
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| Abstract: | Effect of the nanomatrix structure on mechanical properties of natural rubber was investigated in relation to the strain‐induced crystallization. Structure of natural rubber was analyzed through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction measurement and transmission electron microscopy. The nanomatrix of the non‐rubber components was found to be inevitably formed in natural rubber, in which natural rubber particles linking to fatty acids were dispersed in the nanomatrix of the proteins and phospholipids. The nanomatrix disappeared after deproteinization of natural rubber with urea. Tensile strength and modulus of natural rubber were reduced by removal of the fatty acids and the proteins, which resulted in disappearance of the nanomatrix structure. The effect of fatty acids on the crystallization of natural rubber in small particles as a dispersoid was proved by tensile test of blend of natural rubber and styrene butadiene rubber. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. |
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| Keywords: | natural rubber fatty acids nanomatrix structure crystallization tensile properties |
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