Excellent hydrophobic, superior ozone and UV resistant, and high thermal stable films from bio‐based natural rubber latex via fluorinating under mild conditions

Abstract As a renewable and widely applied bio‐based material, the relatively weak resistance of natural rubber (NR) resulting from the inherent unsaturated structure to the harsh environments limits their further applications in some special areas. Thus, the fluorinated natural rubber (FNR) latex was prepared with fluorinated acrylate as the monomer in aqueous emulsion system at ambient temperature. The fluorinating reaction, the structure and morphology of NR latex were examined. It was demonstrated that as the intrinsic surface layer of NR latex particles, the non‐rubber component hindered the penetrating of fluorinated monomer or initiator radicals into the inner NR Latex particles and reduce the grafting reactivity. The fluorination renders the resultant FNR latex film strong hydrophobicity and superior environmental resistance to UV, ozone, and heat. The defective time of the FNR latex film improved 65 times as long as the net NR latex film via ozone aging. The thermal decomposition temperature increased by 37.0°C compared with net NR latex film. This work provides a facile way for preparation of FNR with excellent stability under extreme environments such as high ozone concentration, high UV intensity and high temperature.