Natural rubber stability

The term "latex" originally referred to the milky sap of rubber trees and certain plants. This sap was found to be an aqueous medium containing colloids of natural rubber, stabilized by proteins. Laboratory-synthesized polymer colloids were hence described as "synthetic latexes," and finally just "latexes." That term will be used here. Billions of pounds of latexes are synthesized worldwide each year, for a large variety of applications. The reasons for interest in their use in constructing electrochemical labels are... 

Natural rubber stabilizer Ethylene United States 3,284,220 1966 Monsanto... 

Cure Characteristics. Methods of natural rubber production and raw material properties vary from factory to factory and area to area. Consequentiy, the cure characteristics of natural mbber can vary, even within a particular grade. Factors such as maturation, method and pH of coagulation, preservatives, dry mbber content and viscosity-stabilizing agents, eg, hydroxylamine-neutral sulfate, influence the cure characteristics of natural mbber. Therefore the consistency of cure for different grades of mbber is determined from compounds mixed to the ACSl formulation (27). The ACSl formulation is as follows natural mbber, 100 stearic acid, 0.5 zinc oxide, 6.0 sulfur, 3.5 and 2-mercaptobenzothiazole (MBT), 0.5. 

The important properties of the rubbers are their temperature stability, retention of elasticity at low temperatures and good electrical properties. They are much more expensive than the conventional rubbers (e.g. natural rubber and SBR) and have inferior mechanical properties at room temperature. 

Other polymers used in the PSA industry include synthetic polyisoprenes and polybutadienes, styrene-butadiene rubbers, butadiene-acrylonitrile rubbers, polychloroprenes, and some polyisobutylenes. With the exception of pure polyisobutylenes, these polymer backbones retain some unsaturation, which makes them susceptible to oxidation and UV degradation. The rubbers require compounding with tackifiers and, if desired, plasticizers or oils to make them tacky. To improve performance and to make them more processible, diene-based polymers are typically compounded with additional stabilizers, chemical crosslinkers, and solvents for coating. Emulsion polymerized styrene butadiene rubbers (SBRs) are a common basis for PSA formulation [121]. The tackified SBR PSAs show improved cohesive strength as the Mooney viscosity and percent bound styrene in the rubber increases. The peel performance typically is best with 24—40% bound styrene in the rubber. To increase adhesion to polar surfaces, carboxylated SBRs have been used for PSA formulation. Blends of SBR and natural rubber are commonly used to improve long-term stability of the adhesives. 

Solid SBR is often prefened to natural rubber because of its better thermal oxidative stability, higher abrasion resistance and easier processability. Solid SBRs are generally grouped into three families according to the production method. 

Chemical Reactivity - Reactivity with Water Reacts slowly to form flammable hydrogen gas, which can accumulate in closed area Reactivity with Common Materials Corrosive to natural rubber, some synthetic rubbers, some greases and some lubricants Stability During Transport Stable Neutralizing Agents for Acids and Caustics Flush with 3% aqueous ammonia solution, then with water. Methyl alcohol may also be used Polymerization Not pertinent Inhibitor of Polymerization Not pertinent. 

Storage stability Store DF in lead and wax-lined carboys, high-density polyethylene bottles, or nickel-lined containers in well-ventilated areas. Never store DF with alcohols DF will react with alcohols to form lethal chemicals, such as crude GB. Incompatible with water, glass, concrete, most metals, natural rubber, leather, and organic materials like glycols. The acidic corrosive hydrolysis products may react with metals, such as Al, Pb, and Fe, to give off hydrogen gas, a potential fire and explosive hazard. 

Uses. Formerly as an antioxidant in rubber processing to impart heat, oxidation, and flexcracking resistance in natural rubber, synthetic rubbers, and latexes as a stabilizer in electrical-insulating silicone enamels... 

Phenan thro line (182) can be used instead of thiocyanate to form a complex with Fe(III) ions resulting from the oxidation of Fe(II), and the measurement is made at 500 to 510 nm. The use of 182 has the advantage of stability in the presence of air and also of allowing the use of hydrocarbon solvents for increased solubility of certain analytes. The method was applied for determination of hydroperoxides in natural rubber and synthetic elastomers, in the range of 10 to 20 ppm active oxygen. The sensitivity can be improved to less than 1 ppm, depending on the color of the sample solution. ... 

Rubber. The rubber industry consumes finely ground metallic selenium and Selenac (selenium diethyl dithiocarbamate, R. T. Vanderbilt). Both are used with natural rubber and styrene—butadiene mbber (SBR) to increase the rate of vulcanization and improve the aging and mechanical properties of sulfurless and low sulfur stocks. Selenac is also used as an accelerator in butyl mbber and as an activator for other types of accelerators, eg, thiazoles (see Rubber chemicals). Selenium compounds are useful as antioxidants (qv), uv stabilizers, (qv), bonding agents, carbon black activators, and polymerization additives. Selenac improves the adhesion of polyester fibers to mbber. 

If solid polymer objects are fluorinated or polymer particles much larger than 100 mesh are used, only surface conversion to fluorocarbon results. Penetration of fluorine and conversion of the hydrocarbon to fluorocarbon to depths of at least 0.1 mm is a result routinely obtained and this assures nearly complete conversion of finely powdered polymers. These fluorocarbon coatings appear to have a number of potentially useful applications ranging from increasing the thermal stability of the surface and increasing the resistance of polymer surfaces to solvents and corrosive chemicals, to improving friction and wear properties of polymer surfaces. It is also possible to fluorinate polymers and polymer surfaces partially to produce a number of unusual surface effects. The fluorination process can be used for the fluorination of natural rubber and other elastomeric surfaces to improve frictional characteristics and increase resistance to chemical attack. 

Emulsion Polymerization. When the U.S. supply of natural rubber from the Far East was cut off in World War II, the emulsion polymerization process was developed to produce synthetic mbber. In this complex process, the oiganic monomer is emulsified with soap in an aqueous continuous phase. Because of the much smaller (<0.1 /xm) dispersed partides than in suspension polymerization and the stabilizing action of the soap, a proper emulsion is stable, so agitation is not as critical. In classical emulsion polymerization, a water-soluble initiator is used. This, together with the small particle size, gives rise to very different kinetics (6,21—23). 

The purpose of this paper is to summarise results which have recently been obtained for the effects of various soaps and surfactants upon the mechanical and chemical stability of natural rubber latex, and to indicate the inferences which have been drawn in the course of endeavouring to interpret these observations. 

The ability of a soap or surfactant to enhance the chemical stability of natural rubber latex was assessed by ascertaining its effect upon the mechanical stability of natural rubber latices whose stabilities had been reduced by various chemical modifications. Natural rubber latices of reduced stability were produced in three different ways as follows ... 

Wherever possible, the soaps and surfactants were added to the natural rubber latex as dilute aqueous solutions. The cases where this was not possible were (a) ethylene oxide-fatty alcohol condensates of low ethylene oxide fatty alcohol mole ratio, and (b) sparingly-soluble fatty-acid soaps such as lithium laurate and calcium soaps. The former were added as pastes with water, the latter as dry powders. In all cases, the latex samples were allowed to mature for about three days at room temperature before their mechanical stabilities were determined. This allowed some opportunity for the attainment of adsorption equilibrium. 

---