Keywords: Natural rubber latex film; corn starch; bio-filler; tensile strength; swelling behaviour

Abstract

The use of personal protective equipment, especially disposable gloves, as frontline protection against pathogens has rapidly increased since the COVID-19 pandemic. Although crucial for infection prevention, the growing use of these gloves brings up concerns about waste management and environmental sustainability. This is because many of the materials used in making disposable latex gloves are non-biodegradable, costly, and non-renewable. Consequently, researchers are now focusing on employing renewable biomaterials as fillers in the formulation of latex gloves. Fillers are essential compounding ingredients in natural rubber latex (NRL) film production as they enhance processing and improve the mechanical properties of the NRL matrix. In this study, corn starch (CS) was used as a bio-filler in NRL compounding formulation as it is renewable, abundantly available, and low in cost compared to other synthetic conventional fillers, such as carbon black, silica, graphene, and carbon nanotube. This research focused on the effect of CS on the tensile properties and swelling behaviour of the NRL film. Different ratios of CS dispersion (0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 phr) were used in this study. The unfilled NRL film, which was compounded without CS, was designated as the control to differentiate its properties from filled NRL. In this study, the highest tensile strength and elongation at break were observed at 10 phr of CS loading in the NRL film. As for the modulus at 100% and 300%, the highest value was obtained with the addition of 15 phr of CS, indicating a stiffening effect. In the swelling test, an increase in the ratio of CS resulted in a decrease in the swelling value due to the good rubber-filler interaction between CS and rubber molecules. The increase in crosslinks contributed to higher tensile strength and reduced swelling properties.