Tensile Strength of PHBV/Natural Rubber Latex Mixtures

¹ Department of Geotechnology, Faculty of Technology, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, 40002, Thailand
² Chemical and Process Engineering Program, Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, The Sirindhorn International Thai-German Graduate School of Engineering (TGGS), King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok (KMUTNB), Bangkok, 10800, Thailand

^a Corresponding author: sarunya@kku.ac.th

Abstract

A polyhydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate (PHBV) is mingled with natural rubber latex (R) to develop its mechanical property of the blend. Normally, substantial effects of the PHBV are hard, fragile, and inelastic, whereas the natural rubber is represented itself as very high elastic matter. The mixtures between the PHBV and natural rubber latex (R) are considered in different proportions. The PHBV solutions (w/v) are defined suitability at 1% (P1), 2% (P2), and 3% (P3). Their liquid mixtures of the PHBV to natural rubber latex (P:R) are fabricated the blended films in three different ratios of 2:3, 1:1 and 3:2, respectively. The PHBV blended films are characterized the crystallinity form by x-ray diffractometry (XRD), which are appeared their identity crystals at 13.30 and 16.68 degree (2θ). Mechanical characterizations of the blends are examined by a universal testing machine (UTM). The average elastic moduli of P1, P2, and P3 mixtures are indicated as 773, 955, and 1,007 kPa, respectively. Their tensile strengths, similarly to elastic moduli, enhance with the PHBV concentrations. The effects of mechanical behaviors and crystallinity reveal that the PHBV blends can be improved their properties by more flexible with natural rubber latex.