Studies on the effect of leaching and accelerated aging on the mechanical properties of biodegrable natural rubber (NR) latex gloves
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Date
2016-06
Authors
Lim Wee Kian
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Abstract
Arising in rubber waste disposal problem has encouraged the addition of bio-material filler (sago starch) in natural rubber (NR) latex glove to facilitate their biodegradation process. Leaching is one of the important post-processes in order to reduce the extractable protein which can cause latex allergy problem and aging is used to predict the shelf life of NR latex glove. The effects of different leaching parameters (leaching time, temperature and pH of leaching medium) and accelerated aging process on the mechanical properties of biodegradable NR latex gloves were investigated. Based on the results, the optimum leaching parameters are obtained after 20 minutes at 50°C in distilled water as leaching medium. This is based on the highest mechanical properties with tensile strength of biodegradable NR latex glove (21.79 MPa). Further increase in leaching time and temperature over optimum leaching parameters would results in decrease the mechanical properties of biodegradable NR latex gloves due to starch gelatinization and starch retrogradation which caused by the swelling of amylose molecules. It was found at extreme pH (low or high) of leaching medium results in decrease the mechanical properties of the gloves due to hydrolysis of amylose and amylopectin structure. Meanwhile, the aging process has decreased the mechanical properties of biodegradable NR latex gloves due to the oxidation of polyisoprene backbone chain in biodegradable NR latex gloves as well as amylose and amylopectin chain in sago starch. Apart from that, it is found that leaching at low pH medium has caused the biodegradable NR latex gloves to be more susceptible toward degradation.