Fabrication of shape memory natural rubber using palmitic acid

摘要

This paper investigates the practicability of fabricating a shape memory natural rubber with the use of palmitic acid as the swelling agent. Strips of natural rubber samples were swollen in molten palmitic acid at 75 degrees C. Equilibrium swelling of natural rubber with palmitic acid was found to occur at approximately 50 min of swelling time. Under cooling effect, the palmitic acid crystallized to form a percolated crystalline platelet network. These networks allow fabricated shape memory natural rubber (SMNR) to deform and recover its shape at a temperature above the melting point of palmitic acid. Under controlled uniaxial stress, the natural rubber sample with 0 parts per hundred rubber (phr) carbon black loading exhibits fixity and recovery of 80 +/- 10%. Motivation of this research is primarily on practicability of palmitic acid to be used as a swelling agent for shape memory properties. Results show that palmitic acid is a relatively good swelling agent to induce shape memory properties into natural rubber. (C) 2017 The Authors. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of King Saud University.