Effects of physical and chemical properties of ceramic hand moulds on natural rubber latex glove film formation

Plaster and stoneware hand moulds were fabricated and used in the NR latex glove preparation. The raw materials characteristics combined to influence the hand mould surface properties through the adhesion-cohesion force, interfacial tension, contact angle, packing density. The stoneware hand mould fired at 800°C, fabricated from a smaller particle size distribution, with high zeta potential and interfacial interaction, and high specific surface area was shown to be superior to the plaster hand mould typically used in making NR latex products. The obtained NR latex films were characterised for various physical properties, namely appearances, thickness, tackiness, porosity, smoothness, optical clarity, and effusion.