Tensile Properties and Morphology of Epoxidized Natural Rubber/Recycled Acrylonitrile-Butadiene Rubber (ENR 50/NBRr) Blends

Epoxidized natural rubber (ENR 50) has been introduced to the elastomeric group of materials as a modified form of natural rubber. ENR 50 is a modified natural rubber having properties resembling those of synthetic rubbers rather than natural rubber. ENR 50 is miscible with polar rubber such as acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber (NBR). ENR 50 has unique properties such as good oil resistance, low gas permeability, improved wet grip and rolling resistance, as well as high tensile strength. However, the market and applications for ENR 50 is limited. In this research, NBR gloves have been used as recycled NBR (NBRr) which have excellent resistance to punctures, tears and many types of chemicals. Blending ENR50 with recycled NBR is the easiest and cheapest ways to tailor the properties of ENR 50 and at the same time reduce the material cost. ENR 50/NBRr blends were prepared by two-roll mill at five different compositions (i.e., 95/5, 90/10, 85/15, 75/25, and 65/35). Tensile properties such as tensile strength, elongation at break and modulus were carried out to determine the compatibility between ENR 50 and NBRr. Results indicated that blending ENR 50 with NBRr improved all the tensile properties (tensile strength, modulus and elongation at break) compared to the NR/NBRr blends. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of tensile fracture surfaces showed a better adhesion between ENR 50 and NBRr such that improved the compatibility of ENR 50/NBRr blends.