Properties of cyclized natural rubbers (NR) with various degrees of cyclization (∼4-22%) were investigated in this study. Prior to compounding with rubber additives, the cyclized rubbers were initially prepared by dropping various concentrations of acid (5-30 wt%) to the NR latex, followed by coagulation and drying. The results revealed that the degree of cyclization increased with acid concentration. Increased ring structure formation in the modified NR tended to increase the torque difference during crosslinking, as the cyclic ring structures acted as steric hindrances. The crosslink density was found to decrease with increasing cyclization level due to the loss of active sites for crosslink formation, increasing swelling capability of the cyclized rubbers. The 100% and 300% moduli, tensile strength and extensibility of the NR reduced with increasing degree of cyclization due to a reduction of crosslink density. As a result of cyclic structure formation and a reduction of unsaturated double bonds in the NR, the stability of cyclized NR at elevated temperatures was improved over the pure NR, in a manner dependent on the level of cyclization. Single glass transition temperature was seen in the NR while two glass transition temperatures were noticed in the cyclized NR. The thermal stability of 22% cyclized NR was 50°C higher than that of the pure NR and the aging properties of the cyclized NRs were also greater mainly due to a reduction of unsaturated double bonds. This suggests that cyclized NR may find applications in products requiring thermal resistance.
