|
|||||
|
|
Optimizing natural rubber blends for examination gloves: Vacuum radiation for mechanical strength and solvent barrier |
|
| Authors: | Nurul Hakimah Lazim Siti Aisyah Shamsudin Norsyahidah Mohd Hidzir Chai Chee Keong Izumi Ichinose |
| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Applied Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
Contribution: Data curation (lead), Formal analysis (lead), Investigation (lead), Methodology (lead), Writing - original draft (lead), Writing - review & editing (equal);2. Department of Applied Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia;3. Department of Applied Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia Contribution: Conceptualization (equal), Methodology (equal), Supervision (equal), Validation (equal), Writing - review & editing (equal);4. Raymintex Plant, Technical Support Division, Malaysian Nuclear Agency, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia Contribution: Methodology (supporting), Resources (lead);5. Research Center for Functional Materials, National Institute for Material Science (NIMS), Tsukuba, Japan Contribution: Conceptualization (equal), Supervision (supporting) |
| Abstract: | Natural rubber (NR) is emblematic of sustainability compared to synthetic rubber. However, the tradition of adding sulfur as a vulcanization ingredient results in the release of toxic substances and the potential for health issues. In this study, a feasible strategy was proposed to replace sulfur and discover a safe bulk modification process for NR films. The results have shown that the NR particle size was disintegrated to below 10 nm by gamma irradiation. High tension strength up to 24.45 MPa was observed in the vulcanized NR blend film, which could be elongated up to 800% strain after exposure to an optimum dose of 14 kGy. In comparison to commercial NR latex and nitrile gloves, the vulcanized NR/ SIS films exhibited better chemical resistance ability against hexane, methanol, toluene, and acetone, as revealed by the permeation test. The appearance of amorphous regions and highly oriented NR crystallites was observed through transmission electron microscopy. Findings from this study propose the vacuum radiation strategy that can replace conventional vulcanization methods, resulting in NR films with high mechanical and barrier performance. Furthermore, the emission of toxic substances is reduced by this green process, making it practically useful for potential chemical-resistant examination glove applications. |
| Keywords: | mechanical strength natural rubber blend permeability radiation solvent barrier vulcanization |