Understanding the properties of natural rubber, from nm to cm, to reduce its environmental impact

In the framework of her thesis, Marion Baudoin, PhD student of BioWooEB unit based at the Institute of Physics of Rennes (IPR), carried out a one-month mission at the University of Kasetsart in Bangkok. She was accompanied by her co-supervisors, Céline Bottier (BioWooEB) and Véronique Vué (IPR), as well as by Gilles Paboeuf (IPR). This mission was partly funded by the Program Hubert Curien PHC-SIAM (2023-2024).

Since 2021, Marion Baudoin has been working on the valorization of small rubber particles from Hevea brasiliensis latex.

The mission carried out in October 2023 allowed to harvest fresh latex (whole latex, LE) from two certified rubber clones, which was then centrifuged at the Laboratory of Biochemistry and Natural Rubber Technology (LBTNR) to isolate small (PP) and large (GP) rubber particles.

The biochemical composition (lipids, proteins) of the samples (LE, PP and GP) was analyzed in LBTNR. At the same time, the samples (LE, PP and GP) were shaped by a miniaturized process to produce rubber sheets called mini-ADS (Air-Dried Sheet).

These sheets will be subjected to thermal and mechanical measurements by Jean-Benoît Le Cam at IPR-Rennes as well as to composition (gel) and structure (length of polyisoprene chains) analyses at BioWooEB by Frédéric Bonfils, Maxime Geniez and Christine Char.

Published: 17/11/2023