A Comparative Study of Styrene Polymerization in Deproteinized and Undeproteinized Natural Rubber Latex

Abstract

Abstract An investigation on in situ polymerization of styrene in deproteinized natural rubber (DPNR) latex and high ammonia natural rubber (HANR) latex was carried out. The ratio of styrene to dry rubber was fixed at 25 : 75 by weight. It was observed that, at reaction temperature of 60 °C and reaction time of 10 hours, the styrene-DPNR system could attain a high conversion of 97% without adding surfactant. The degree of chemical bonding estimated for the resultant polystyrene-DPNR dried material was about 80%. The styrene-HANR system, however, required the addition of surfactant to complete the reaction time; but the conversion was found to be relatively low, in the region of 66%. This low conversion could be attributed to the role played by the protein/lipid layer, which is virtually absent in the styrene-DPNR system.