Synergistic effect of thermal oxygen and UV aging on natural rubber

Abstract

The oxidation of natural rubber (NR) leads to a decrease in mechanical properties, even resulting in failure of NR products. Many studies focusing on this single factor have failed to fully elucidate the impact of tropical island environment on NR properties. Based on this concern, the synergistic effect of thermal oxygen and ultraviolet (UV) aging on NR was systematically studied. The results revealed that thermal oxygenation can promote UV aging, which leads to the appearance of surface cracks and deepening of color. With the extension of aging time, the mechanical properties of NR correspondingly decreased. Besides, to deeply understand the mechanism of the synergistic effect of thermal oxygen and UV aging on NR, we selected squalene to simulate and analyze the molecular structure changes in NR. Based on these results, a possible synergistic effect of thermal oxygen and UV aging mechanisms on NR could be proposed.