Study of molecular weight and chain branching architectures of natural rubber

ABSTRACT The origin of the unique bimodal molecular weight distribution (MWD) of natural rubber (NR) has been controversial up to now. Studying the connection between particle size and molecular weight (MW) might be a key approach to revealing the mystery of NR architectures. In this study, through...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of applied polymer science 2016-10, Vol.133 (40), p.np-n/a
Main Authors: Qu, Wei, Zhu, Yong, Huang, Guangsu, Huang, Cheng, Luo, Ming-Chao, Zheng, Jing
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Architecture
Chain branching
Construction
Detectors
Light scattering
Materials science
Molecular weight
Natural rubber
phospholipids
Polymers
properties and characterization
proteins
Rubber
Tires
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Summary:ABSTRACT The origin of the unique bimodal molecular weight distribution (MWD) of natural rubber (NR) has been controversial up to now. Studying the connection between particle size and molecular weight (MW) might be a key approach to revealing the mystery of NR architectures. In this study, through constructing NR models as objectives and employing gel‐permeation chromatography coupled to a viscosity detector as well as a multiangle laser light scattering detector (GPC‐DP‐MALLS), we have acquired branching parameters for NR from solid experiments and data fitting. It is found that small rubber particles (SRPs) and large rubber particles (LRPs) jointly construct the unique bimodal MWD of NR. SRPs with low branching numbers (Bn) and branching frequency (λ) are believed to be composed of almost linear rubber molecules having no chain‐end groups to be branched. In contrast, LRPs transform their MWD curve into a clear bimodal peak after transesterification and possess high Bn. Meanwhile, the formation of branch points in LRP by hydrogen bonding and ionic linkages has been clearly confirmed. Thus, a clear and exact structure of NR has been revealed for the first time. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci, 2016.
ISSN:0021-8995
1097-4628
DOI:10.1002/app.43975