RVNRL a potential material in latex dipped products manufacturing

Preparation of radiation vulcanised natural rubber latex (RVNRL) using n-butyl acrylate as the sensitiser had been upgraded from a small scale to a bigger scale of about 500 kilograms per batch. Improvement on the physical properties of its vulcanisátes was observed. The tensile strength was determined to be about 28 MPa and the elongation at break of about 1000%. Despite its low ammonia content, about 0.4%, there was no negative effect detected neither on its alkalinity nor its stability. Upon incineration the film vulcanisate gave an ash residue as low as 0.7%. The sulphur content in the form of sulphate and sulphide were 0.11 mg per litre and < 0.001 mg per litre respectively. These properties plus other advantages discussed elsewhere make RVNRL a potential material for natural rubber latex dipped products manufacturing to suit the current needs.