Preparation of pH‐responsive crosslinked materials from natural rubber and poly(4‐vinylpyridine) |
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| Authors: | Chanon Sansuk Sopitcha Phetrong Peerasak Paoprasert |
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| Affiliation: | Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, Thammasat University, Pathumthani, Thailand |
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| Abstract: | Stimuli‐responsive elastomers are smart materials for sensing applications. Natural rubber (NR) is a renewable elastomer with excellent elasticity and fatigue resistance. In this work, a straightforward method for the preparation of pH‐responsive crosslinked materials from NR and poly(4‐vinylpyridine) (P4VP) via free radical crosslinking reaction using benzoyl peroxide (BPO) as an initiator is described. The effects of P4VP and BPO concentrations, reaction time and reaction temperature on immobilization percentage were investigated. It was found that the immobilization percentage reached 90% when using a P4VP concentration of 150 phr and a BPO concentration of 10 phr for 24 h at 90 °C. The pH responsiveness of the crosslinked materials was studied via water swelling, water contact angle and dye release measurements. Unlike unmodified rubber, the P4VP‐crosslinked NR was found to be pH‐responsive in acidic solution. Indigo carmine adsorption studies showed the Langmuir isotherm suggesting monolayer coverage of dye on the rubber surface. The dye could also be released upon increasing the pH of solution above 4. Based on these results, the introduction of pH responsiveness to NR will lead to novel responsive rubber‐based materials that can be used in biomedical and sensing applications. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry |
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| Keywords: | natural rubber poly(4‐vinylpyridine) pH‐responsive material crosslinking |
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