Research on the Preparation of High Molecular Weight Natural Rubber and Its Structure–Property Relationship

This work used the same batch of collected natural latex as raw materials in order to ensure the same non-rubber components were contained in natural rubber. Through systematic testing of the rubber material, including microstructure, intrinsic properties and application performance, the preparation process of high molecular weight natural rubber and its structure–property relationship were explored. Additionally, a comparative analysis was conducted with Indonesian No. 1 Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS) rubber. The results indicated that regulating the maturation time made an effective contribution to the increasing of molecular weight in natural rubber, with non-rubber components kept constant. The typical mechanical properties such as tensile modulus and tensile strength at room temperature, as well as application performance including hardness and torsion fatigue life of natural rubber were significantly optimized, accompanied by the higher molecular weight. This work successfully prepared high molecular weight natural rubber with superior comprehensive performance and revealed the underlying mechanism between molecular weight and the application properties of natural rubber. It provides a theoretical basis and technical support for the high-performance preparation of natural rubber with application under complex working conditions such as dynamic loading and high-temperature environments.