Influence of non-rubber components on film formation behavior of natural rubber latex

Dipping product of natural rubber (NR) latex has superior comprehensive properties superior to those made from synthetic latex. Compared with synthetic latex, the component characteristics of NR show the existence of non-rubber components (NRC). In this paper, NRC, mainly proteins and phospholipids, are separately removed by enzyme treatment to study their effect on the film formation behavior of natural rubber latex. The changes of NR latex particles are in situ visualize by using freeze-drying SEM technology and AFM during the film formation process. The results demonstrate that contact, deformation, and coalescence of latex particles occur more readily after the removal of proteins and phospholipids. It shows that removing NRC can quicken NR film formation. However, the mechanical properties of the NR film decrease in the absence of NRC. Based on the research, a film formation mechanism for NR latex is proposed, which can provide a more insightful understanding toward the structure-property relationship of NR film. Graphical abstract