Locally producible castor-oil based surfactant for production of nr-latex foam

Abstract

A surfactant plays an important role in a colloidal system such as natural(NR) latex. It decreases the surface free energy at the interface between the rubber particle and aqueous phase, thereby enhancing the stability of the latex. Of all the surfactants that are applicable in NR-latex'.the anionic types of unsaturated long chain molecules have been, found to be most suitable for the production of NR-latex foam.typically the organic compound K-oleate. Although locally producible K-soap of castor oil has been identified as an alternate surfactant to K-oleate,no detailed studies have been made on its performance in NR-latex,in relation to that of K-oleate. It is with this-concern that-this paper is presented. In this work,the K-soap of castor oil has been prepared and then compared with K-oleate for’siirfattive; performance,especially for stabilising and form promoting effects in NR-latex. The investigation of the results of the studies reveals that in respect of these effects K-soap of castor oif functions more effectively than K-oleate.