Influence of thickness on the mechanical properties, contact angle, absorption, and loss in water of membrane from natural latex

The latex membrane has been gained prominence in several applications; however, the low uniformity in its thickness causes a discrepancy in properties, becoming a problem for large-scale production, especially when it comes to a product for the biomedical area. Therefore, this article aims to determine the influence of thickness on the properties of membranes derived from natural latex. For this, samples were produced with thicknesses of 0.35 mm, 0.40 mm, 0.50 mm, 0.60 mm, and 0.65 mm and subjected to hardness tests, water absorption and loss, wettability by the contact angle, and mechanical resistance. The results showed that the greater the thickness, the lower the hardness, the water absorption, Young's modulus, tensile deformation, and the wettability, but, greater was the tensile strength and the mass loss in water. The standard deviation of the properties of samples with a thickness between 0.40 mm and 0.60 mm was up to 550% less than the deviations found for 0.35 mm and 0.50 mm, up to 930% below for 0.50 mm and 0, 65 mm and up to 800% smaller for thickness ranges between 0.35 mm and 0.65 mm. Thus, to standardize the production of latex membranes, ensuring good uniformity in their properties, thicknesses must be 0.50 mm with 0.1 mm deviation.