Research on the influence of grafted monomers on the thermal properties of innovative materials derived from deproteinized natural rubber and cellulose

Abstract

The application of sustainably modified natural polymers has attracted considerable attention from researchers worldwide. Among these materials, natural rubber (NR) and cellulose are recognized as high value and promising candidates for sustainable development. This study aims to evaluate the influence of grafted monomers on the thermal properties of a novel composite material derived from these two polymers. The material was synthesized via graft copolymerization of deproteinized natural rubber (DPNR) with selected monomers, followed by coprecipitation with a cellulose solution in ethanol. In this system, the DPNR grafted polymer serves as the continuous phase, while cellulose acts as the dispersed phase, contributing to the enhancement of material properties. Two monomers, styrene (S) and methyl methacrylate (MMA), were employed to investigate their compatibility with DPNR and regenerated cellulose. The successful grafting of monomers onto the DPNR backbone was confirmed through structural characterization techniques, including nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The thermal properties of the resulting materials were analyzed using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The results indicate that the developed materials exhibit improved thermal stability compared to conventional composites. Notably, DPNR-g-PS demonstrates superior thermal performance relative to DPNR-g-PMMA.