Carboxylated acrylonitrile butadiene-natural rubber latex blends with methyl methacrylate grafted natural rubber latex: mechanical properties and morphology.

Commercially available carboxylated acrylonitrile butadiene latex (XNBR) was physically blended with natural rubber latex (NR) at varying blend ratios to investigate its effect on the mechanical properties and morphology. Methyl methacrylate grafted natural rubber latex (MG) was added to the latex blends as a third polymer to study whether it could enhance the mechanical properties of the latex blend films. It was found that the tensile strength of the blend films irrespective of composition decreased when the two latexes were blended as compared to the virgin latex films.

Preparation and Characterization of Low-Molecular-Weight Natural Rubber Latex via Photodegradation Catalyzed by Nano TiO₂.

Natural rubber is one of the most important renewable biopolymers used in many applications due to its special properties that cannot be easily mimicked by synthetic polymers. To sustain the existence of natural rubber in industries, modifications have been made to its chemical structure from time to time in order to obtain new properties and to enable it to be employed in new applications. The chemical structure of natural rubber can be modified by exposure to ultraviolet light to reduce its molecular weight.