非ゴム成分のナノ海島構造が天然ゴムの物性に及ぼす効果

抄録

Natural rubber is a naturally occurring nanocomposite with an island–nanomatrix structure. It consists of cis-1,4-polyisoprene particles with an average diameter of about 1 μm dispersed in a matrix（nanomatrix） composed of non-rubber components such as proteins and lipids with a thickness of several tens of nanometers. The island–nanomatrix structure is stabilized by physical and chemical pinning involving proteins and phospholipids, which are attracted to the ω-terminal and α-terminal ends of cis-1,4-polyisoprene. In this paper, several breakthroughs in research on the relationship between the structure and properties of natural rubber are introduced, arising from the discovery of the island–nanomatrix structure. The primary structure and nanostructure （island–nanomatrix structure） of natural rubber are described in the context of the history of structural analyses of the material. The origin of the outstanding mechanical properties of natural rubber is interpreted in relation to the island–nanomatrix structure, and differences in natural rubber produced by various manufacturing methods are explained in terms of the island–nanomatrix structure and degradation. Furthermore, the development of a method for removing proteins from natural rubber is explained based on the island–nanomatrix structure, and protein-free natural rubber prepared by this method is introduced.