Surface modification of natural rubber film by polymerisation of methyl methacrylate in water-based system

Polymerisation of methyl methacrylate (MMA) on the surface of natural rubber (NR) film was studied in order to increase the surface hardness, roughness and, hence, to decrease the friction coefficient of rubber. We used the two-step process: (i) swelling of MMA and tert-butyl hydroperoxide, emulsified in an aqueous solution of sodium dodecyl sulphate, onto the NR film surface, and (ii) subsequently immersing the swollen rubber strip into an alkaline aqueous solution of ferrous ion/fructose for redox initiation. The presence of PMMA on the NR surface was examined by attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). Increasing the concentration of ferrous ion caused an increase in MMA conversion. The surface morphology observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) in tapping mode revealed the aggregation of micronmetre-scale nodules on the modified surface. The surface hardness and roughness increased with increasing PMMA content.