Development of biodegradable natural rubber latex composites by employing corn derivative bio‐fillers

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the viability of employing corn‐based fillers (powdered corn grain [CG], corn flour [CF] and cornstarch [CS]) to improve the biodegradability of natural rubber latex (NRL) composites by varying filler loading from 0 to 50 phr. Notable variation in both physical and mechanical properties were observed for the different filler types, with CG‐filled NRL demonstrating the better adhesion with NRL. Thus, CG‐filled composites were selected for investigation of biodegradability. Increased CG loading in NRL compounds enhanced biodegradation; with over 70% degradation observed for 50 phr CG loading upon 15 weeks of soil burial. However, the trade‐off between mechanical properties and biodegradability limits the CG loading in the NRL matrix to 20 phr for manufacturing NRL‐based products. It was observed that NRL with CG filler loading of 20 phr conforms to the ASTM D3578 standard for manufacturing rubber gloves; with 50% biodegradation upon 15 weeks of soil burial.

Green Natural Rubber Composites Reinforced with Black/White Rice Husk Ashes: Effects of Reinforcing Agent on Film’s Mechanical and Dielectric Properties

“…The maximum values of elongation at break of NR–B at 392.0% and NR–W at 302.7% were obtained at filler loading of 20 phr and 60 phr, which were 3.5-fold and 2.7-fold increases of that of the NR film, respectively. However, the values relatively decreased with further increases in filler loading beyond the optimal point, because the elasticity of the rubber chains was reduced when filler particles exceeded a certain amount in the rubber matrix [ 31 , 32 ].…”

“…The previous studies demonstrated the limitations of polar filler loading in NR composites. They found the tensile strength of the NR composite increased with increasing the filler content up to a maximum value (20–60 phr) and then decreased [ 12 , 13 , 31 , 32 , 37 ]. Higher filler loading in NR composite could lead to formation of filler agglomeration and undispersed filler in NR matrix, resulting in a weak filler–rubber interaction.…”

“…These results are in accord with those on the water absorption capacity, which can be explained by the high number of fillers in NR matrix generating hydrophilic surfaces, resulting in enhanced water absorption of the composites. The higher water content in NR matrix could promote microbial activities that increase the rate of degradation [ 31 , 47 ]. The weight loss of NR–WC100 was lower than NR–W100, because the CaCl 2 crosslinked film displayed a higher tensile strength with lower WAC, as compared to NR–W100.…”

Waste Natural Polymers as Potential Fillers for Biodegradable Latex-Based Composites: A Review

“…CG loadings greater than 20 phr of tensile retention are reduced, implying the rapid loss of initial tensile strength under ageing circumstances at larger biofiller loadings. As a result, the most ideal CG loading in NR latex films was determined to be 20 phr for the manufacture of biodegradable NR gloves, in line with ASTM D3578, which reported a biodegradability of roughly 50% after 15 weeks of soil burial [ 64 ].…”

Fabrication and Properties of Smart Temperature Epoxidized Natural Rubber

“…In order to investigate in vitro drug release, The sustained release of curcumin from the ENR-graft-NVCL was obaserved at 20 °C and 40 °C . The release kinetics from the sample shows two stages: an initial fast release before the inflections (stage I) followed by a slow and constant release (stage II) [29][30]. In stage I, there were initial rapid release from the electrospun mats, then the release ceased and the remainder of the drug was released in stage II.…”