Characterization of Epoxidized Natural Rubber for Coating Application
Epoxidized natural rubber was prepared by epoxidation of natural rubber with fresh peracetic acid in latex stage. The epoxidized natural rubbers with epoxy group content of 8, 15 and 27 mol% were prepared by adjusting the amount of fresh peracetic. The characterization of resulting materials was carried out through NMR spectroscopy, gel content determination and particle size measurement. The epoxidized natural rubber with various epoxy group contents were coated on the surface of the wood substrate by spin coating technique. The contact angle measurement and bending test were made for wood coated by epoxidized natural rubbers. The results show that the obtained epoxidized natural rubber is liquid resistance as is evident in high contact angle of water and poly(ethylene glycol) solution on the rubber surface. The bending strength of wood is improved by coating epoxidized natural rubber. The material with epoxy group content of 15 mol% is suitable for the protection of the wood surface.