Effect of Egg White Protein and Water Content on the Stabilization Mechanisms of Natural Rubber Latex Foams Obtained from Microwave Radiation

Abstract

The global plastic consumption, as one of the paramount concerns of our society, open new paths of investigation in green materials. This study presents our contribution to the field with the obtention of natural rubber latex foams using egg white powder as bio stabilizing agent. The route followed to develop these samples is based on a two‐step process, a previous aeration, followed by microwave dehydration. This synthesis route is greener and eco‐friendlier than conventional ones due to the use of biobased bulk materials, the utilisation of microwave radiation which reduces the energy consumption in comparison with conventional heating methods and the elimination of the vulcanization process typically used when producing latex foams. In this work a deep study of the effect of egg white protein on natural rubber latex foams obtained at three water content levels (i.e. 40, 70, 90 phr) is carried out. The density and cellular structure parameters are measured for the formulations of liquid and solid foams which led to stable final samples in order to comprehend the stabilization mechanisms due to the presence of the egg white and the effect of water content in these systems. With the route developed in this research it has been possible to produce open cell natural rubber latex foams with densities as low as 53 kg/m3 and cell sizes as low as 114 µm.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.