Poly(methyl methacrylate co 2 ethylhexyl methacrylate) copolymers with 0.6-49.2 mol% of 2 ethylhexyl methacrylate were synthesized and blended with natural rubber at three different blend ratios (i.e. 5/95, 10/90, 15/85) on the latex stage. Chemical structure of the copolymer was confirmed by FTIR and 1 H NMR spectroscopy. Mechanical strength of the blend (rubber/copolymer) containing 7.76 mol% of 2 ethylhexyl methacrylate showed the higher values than the incompatible blend natural rubber/PMMA. According to water absorption and ATR FTIR measurements, the amount of dispersed particles of obtained blends on the surface decreases sharply compared to rubber/PMMA blend. Scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy also showed that surface and cross section morphologies of the studied were more homogeneous than those of incompatible blend. The miscibility of studied blend was further reflected by DSC analysis.

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