Microcellular Rubber: A Study on Reclaimed Natural Rubber (NR) Latex Gloves/Standard Malaysian Rubber (SMR) 20 Blends

Reclaimed rubber from rejected natural rubber (nr) latex gloves (r-nrg) was evaluated as partial replacement for standard malaysian rubber (smr) 20 in producing microcellular rubber. in the study, the amount of reclaimed rubber varied from 20 pphr to 95 pphr for the purpose of cost reduction, environmental interest and as processing aids in reducing internal porosity, swells and to minimize shrinkage and air-trapped problems in producing microcellular rubber. a typical formulation in making microcellular rubber slab was developed and two-roll mill was used for compounding. the cure characteristics and mechanical properties, such as density, hardness, tensile strength, and elongation at break, were evaluated. scorch time and cure rate index performed marginal decreased with increasing of r-nrg content. 95 pphr r-nrg blends showed a consequential drop in hardness. both tensile properties and elongation at break decreased as the r-nrg content was increased