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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Kheng-Lim GohORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND).
© 2026 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society. This article is licensed under CC-BY 4.0. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Rubber materials incorporating vegetable oils are being developed as sustainable alternatives to conventional petroleum-derived plasticizers. In this study, palm oil (PO) was used as a green processing oil for natural rubber (NR) composites, and aromatic oil (AO) was included for comparative analysis. The preparation of rubber material via the latex method, with and without vulcanizing agents, was also compared to the conventional preparation method. The test results showed that replacing AO with PO in the latex method yielded a similar cure rate index. The Payne effect, indicating the extent of filler–rubber interaction via the latex method, was 182 kPa for AO and 171 kPa for PO. The mechanical properties in terms of the Young’s modulus of the PO-based composites were higher than those of the AO-based counterparts. Furthermore, the PO-based composites exhibited the smallest tan δ value at 60 °C (0.05), indicating the lowest rolling resistance. Life cycle assessment results showed that the PO-based natural rubber latex reduces fossil fuel depletion, human toxicity, and ozone layer depletion. Moreover, the latex method reduces human toxicity compared to the conventional method. Substituting PO in place of AO in rubber compounds serves as a suitable alternative plasticizer for rubber products.
Author(s): Yangthong H, Udomsin P, Lim-arun P, Suethao S, Kaewpradit P, Jittham P, Sucharitpwatskul S, Mougin K, Spangenberg A, Le Duigou A, Goh KL, Smitthipong W
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: ACS Omega
Year: 2026
Volume: 11
Issue: 24
Pages: 35913-35927
Print publication date: 23/06/2026
Online publication date: 11/06/2026
Acceptance date: 09/06/2026
Date deposited: 06/07/2026
ISSN (electronic): 2470-1343
Publisher: American Chemical Society
URL: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.6c02667
DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.6c02667
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