Comparison of mechanical, morphological and swelling properties of WNRL/PS and NRv/PS blends

Natural rubber latex waste was dried in an ambient temperature and was milled by a two-roll mill prior to blending with polystyrene (PS) for the purpose of recycling. These blends were prepared at different milled waste natural rubber latex (WNRL) and PS ratios, and the effect of PS content on the mechanical properties was investigated. As the PS content increased, the tensile strength and the Young’s modulus also increased, but the elongation at break decreased. The blend morphologies were observed using transmission electron microscope. A dynamically vulcanized natural rubber/PS blend and a natural rubber (NR)/PS blend were prepared and compared with WNRL/PS blend. WNRL/PS blend showed higher tensile strength and Young’s modulus compared with other blends.