Polymeric coating with low surface friction for natural rubber substrate

• Main Authors: Gi, Chareeya, Gan, Seng Neon, Ang, Desmond Teck-Chye
• Format: Article
• Published: Elsevier 2024
• Subjects: Q Science (General); QD Chemistry
• Online Access: http://eprints.um.edu.my/45716/; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.porgcoat.2024.108281
• Institution: Universiti Malaya

Coating natural rubber gloves with a layer of polymeric film is an essential process to improve donning properties of the article. The objective of this study is to develop a novel terpolymer, styrene-butyl acrylate-isoprene (St-BAIso) resin for rubber gloves coating application. St-BA-Iso terpolymer was synthesized via emulsion polymerization, and subsequently formulated as polymeric coating for natural rubber films. The synthesized emulsion terpolymer and its coating performance were characterized via spectroscopic, thermal, and physical tests. Several commercial styrene-butadiene-rubber (SBR) and polyurethane (PU) resins which are commonly used for the same purpose were included in this study to benchmark the performance of the newly developed St-BA-Iso coating. Carefully designed methodology and formulation have allowed the terpolymer synthesis to achieve >= 95 % conversion, comprise of smaller particle size, and has desirable glass transition temperature. Apart from that, the surface tension and molecular weight are comparable to those of commercial resins. In terms of coating performance, St-BA-Iso coating outperformed the other resins used in this study by demonstrating impressive smoothness on the coated surface. Rubber film coated with the terpolymer recorded lower coefficient of friction, better anti-tack property, as well as lesser cracking or delamination. Effect from core-shell polymerization technique on the resultant film properties was elucidated in this study as well. In addition to the superior properties, the all-liquid monomers formulation to produce St-BA-Iso terpolymer makes it more industrially friendly, and the monomers are relatively less toxic in comparison to those used in the synthesis of SBR or PU.