Preparation and application of epoxidized natural rubber from Artocarpus heterophyllus gum

Epoxidized jackfruit gum (EJG) was prepared and characterized. An attempt to prepare a solid polymer electrolyte from EJG was made. The characterizations of epoxidized jackfruit gum were carried out through FT-IR spectroscopy, NMR spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography, nitrogen content determination, water uptake determination and ion exchange capacity. The ion conductivity, differential scanning calorimetry, and SEM images of the blends of EJG and LiClO₄ were characterized. The results indicated the epoxy group content of the sample achieved 95 mol% after 3 h of the epoxidation. During the epoxidation, the nitrogen content reduced, whereas the phospholipid content of the samples did not change. The molecular weight of samples reduced during the epoxidation. The ion conductivity of EJG/LiClO₄/epoxidized natural rubber was improved, i.e. in order of 10⁻⁴ S/cm which was attributed to the presence of epoxy group in EJG. The liquid crystal may form in EJG/LiClO₄ blends. These phenomena may suggest the strong interaction between epoxy group in EJG and LiClO₄.