Exploring the Influence of Hevea Brasiliensis Clones on the Extraordinary Properties of Natural Rubber Vulcanizates

Natural rubber latex (NRL) collected from various Hevea brasiliensis clones, namely RRIM600, RRIT251, and PB235, was used to prepare vulcanized natural rubber. The influence of protein content in various natural rubber clones on storage hardening, tensile properties, and thermal properties was investigated. It was found that the RRIM600 clone exhibited the highest protein content. The increased storage hardening is related to the higher protein content in the latex. The cure characteristic of vulcanized natural rubber depends on the proteins in NRL and acts as an activator in vulcanization system. Moreover, the RRIM600 clone exhibited the maximum of 300% modulus, 500% modulus, tensile strength, and thermal stability. This is attributed to the chemical interaction (H-bonding interaction), physical crosslink (entanglement), and also the presence of strain-induced crystallization in natural latex molecules. Thus, this study is aimed to understand the key role of non-rubber components from different clones on the networking structure. The concept utilized in this study holds great potential for a wide range of applications, leveraging the properties of natural rubber latex collected from diverse clones.