Properties and Nano-observation of Natural Rubber with Nanomatrix Structure - Natural Polymers, Biopolymers, Biomaterials, and Their Composites, Blends, and IPNs - page 325

Figure 11. Orthogonal cross-sectional views and three-dimensional TEMT image of the rubber with
the nanomatrixstructure after annealing at 130 o C. Box size is 362 nm, 362 nm, 139 nm, where dark
domains represent natural rubber and bright domains represent polystyrene. In a XY through view,
the nanomatrix of about 15 nm in thickness is shown to be connected each other. XZ and YZ edge
views reveal that the thin nanomatrix is connected to each other after annealing. We may see the
fused nanomatrix in three-dimensional TEMT image.
ProPerties oF Natural ruBBer With NaNomatriX struCture
elastic Property of Natural rubber
A storage modulus at plateau region (plateau-modulus) versus frequency for natural
rubber, the rubber with the nanomatrix structure (DPNR- graft -PS) and the rubber with
the island-matrix-structure is shown in Figure 12. The value of the plateau-modulus
of natural rubber was about 10 5 Pa, as in the case of that reported in the literature
(Roberts, 1988). When the nanomatrix structure was formed in natural rubber, the
plateau-modulus of the rubber increased about 10 times as high as that of natural
rubber. In contrast, the plateau-modulus increased a little, about 1.3 times, when the
island-matrix-structure was formed in natural rubber. The 1.3 times increase in the