Ternary composite films of natural rubber, cellulose microfiber, and carboxymethyl cellulose for excellent mechanical properties, biodegradability and chemical resistance

Fast and facile preparation of composite films containing natural rubber and Eucalyptus cellulose microfiber was achieved by the addition of carboxyl methyl cellulose to yield advantage properties such as chemical resistance, biodegradability and excellent tensile strength. It was found that carboxyl methyl cellulose can be employed as pre-agglomeration stabilizer to obtain high dispersion of hydrophilic cellulose fibers in hydrophobic natural rubber latex. The incorporation of cellulose fibers into the natural rubber matrix significantly improved the crystallinity of the composite films. At the highest loading content of cellulose at 50% w/w, the uptake toluene of the film was reduced to only 5%, whereas its tensile strength was increased to 100 times higher than the neat rubber film. Thermal stability was decreased slightly, depending on cellulose fiber loading content, but the glass transition temperature remained constant at about - 64 degrees C. According to the hydrophilic nature of cellulose, the water absorption capacity and water vapor transmission of the composite films were enhanced. In addition, it was shown that the biodegradability was considerably improved; the composite films degraded sufficiently in soil within 2 weeks.

Automated summary

By incorporating carboxyl methyl cellulose into composite films containing natural rubber and Eucalyptus cellulose microfiber, fast and facile preparation was achieved, resulting in advantageous properties such as enhanced tensile strength and reduced toluene uptake. The addition of cellulose fibers significantly improved the physical properties of the composite films, while also enhancing water absorption capacity and water vapor transmission.