Abstract

The maturation process is an important means of industrially regulating natural rubber. It is of great significance to understand the change rule of properties in the maturation process for the production and processing of natural rubber. In this paper, the effects of maturation time on the non-rubber components, microstructure and macroscopic properties of natural rubber were studied. The test results of nitrogen content showed that the protein content of natural rubber decreased with the extension of maturation time. The results of the solid nuclear magnetic resonance and gel content test showed that the molecular chain entanglements of the rubber increased and the natural network structure increased during the maturation process. The test results of the vulcanisation curves showed that the scorching time of the rubber was significantly shortened with the prolongation of the maturation time; The test results of cross-linking density showed that the cross-linking density decreased with the extension of maturation time. The test results of compression heat build-up and Akron abrasion showed that the heat build-up of the rubber increased and the wear resistance deteriorated during the maturation process. In addition, when the maturation time was 2 days, the rubber had the highest molecular weight, highest storage modulus, smallest loss factor, best dispersion of carbon black, and best mechanical properties and aging resistance.