Reinforcement of natural rubber latex with nanocrystalline cellulose

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Cellulose is the most abundant natural polymer on earth. The value of the cellulose in trees or other plants**increases by several orders of magnitude when it undergoes a controlled extraction to produce a uniform**crystalline building block, known as cellulose nanocrystal (CNC). CNCs are rod-shaped nanoparticles with**outstanding stiffness and hardness, high aspect ratio and surface area, low density, and abundant -OH groups**for modification; these properties make them appealing reinforcing agents in polymers and rubbers.**CelluForce, a world leader in the commercial development of CNC, is interested in incorporating CNCs into**natural rubber latex materials; however, so far, they have been unable to do so because they have been unable**to achieve dispersion of CNCs in rubber, as these particles tend to aggregate and agglomerate due to surface**area and volume effects. Achieving dispersion is critical to taking advantage of the enhanced reinforcement and**barrier performance that CNCs can offer for latex materials.**This project will investigate the interaction of hydrophilic CNC with the hydrophobic rubber matrix, with an**ultimate goal of developing a process technology for effective dispersion of CNC in rubber matrices, with a**focus on latex systems for glove applications. Natural rubber (NR) is typically obtained from rubber trees as a**stable dispersion of polymeric particles in water, and CNCs form a stable particle dispersion in water. We will**use latex particles as a matrix for colloidal CNC that takes advantage of the compatibility between the NR latex**and the colloidal CNC. Prof. Mekonnen has extensive experience in rubber latex nanocomposites, which,**combined with CelluForce's CNC expertise, will enable the team to tackle the dispersion challenge, thereby**removing a major barrier to the commercialization of CNC-rubber nanocomposite technology. We will**optimize the process parameters (e.g. mixing, pH, surface modification of CNC, surfactants, etc.) for the**incorporation of CNC into the NR. The results of this study will then be applied to develop CNC - rubber**nanocomposites for gloves and condoms applications.