Application of Macca charcoal in saponified natural rubber composites

This present work is an attempt to study the composite between natural rubber (NR) and Macca charcoal, as a special additive, for producing the adhesive plaster for pain relief. The NR latex used in this work was a saponified NR (SPNR) cured by peroxide to avoid allergenic problems in human use, which causes by protein and accelerator in sulphur cure. Macca charcoal is proved to have ability to generate far infrared rays (FIR) in the range of 6-14 μm which can transfer to be heat energy. The human body can absorb FIR in this range because of their deep penetrating ability. Light energy is changed to thermal energy when FIR penetrates through skin to the subcutaneous tissues. This thermal energy helps to decrease the symptoms of stress and fatigue such as headaches, joint pain, burns, muscle spasms, and insomnia. In this work, the SPNR/Macca composite was subjected to studying the effect of Macca charcoal content on the physical and thermal properties of SPNR composites. The results showed that hardness and tensile properties increased with increasing an addition of Macca charcoal in SPNR. In addition, the increasing of Macca charcoal content enhance thermal retention estimation and thermal intensity, but has no substantial effect on depth of FIR diffusion on pork layer. Thus, SPNR/Macca charcoal composites can be an optional material apply for an adhesive bandage for pain relief purpose.