Strong and tough nanocomposite materials based on natural rubber (NR) latex demonstrate increasing potential to be used in advanced engineering applications and personal care products. Among many approaches for improving the toughness of NR-based products, the use of renewable and bio-based nanofillers is persuaded by environmental and economic trends. In this study, we report the preparation and incorporation of nanoscale organosolv lignin (OSL) particles in NR latex to improve its mechanical properties. We showed that the tensile strength, toughness, and Shore hardness of NR films reinforced with 5 wt % nanoscale OSL were improved by 39 %, 53 % and 12 %, respectively, while retaining high elongation at break (∼1800 %). This substantially improved mechanical property profile can be attributed to the enhanced nanoscale dispersion of OSL and the associated favourable interfacial adhesion of OSL with the NR matrix. Furthermore, the impact of an industrially applicable leaching process on the toughness and thermo-oxidative stability of rubber films is also discussed. For an instance, after the leaching process, the tensile strength, elongation, and toughness of 1 wt % OSL/NR were increased by 27 %, 9%, and 32 %, respectively.

基于天然橡胶（NR）乳胶的强韧纳米复合材料显示出越来越高的潜力，可用于高级工程应用和个人护理产品。在许多提高天然橡胶产品韧性的方法中，可再生和生物基纳米填料的使用受到环境和经济趋势的说服。在这项研究中，我们报告了纳米胶乳中纳米级有机溶剂木质素（OSL）颗粒的制备和掺入，以改善其机械性能。我们表明，用5 wt％纳米级OSL增强的NR薄膜的拉伸强度，韧性和肖氏硬度分别提高了39％，53％和12％，同时保持了高的断裂伸长率（〜1800％）。这种显着改善的机械性能曲线可归因于OSL的纳米级分散性增强以及OSL与NR基质的相关界面粘合性。此外，还讨论了工业上适用的浸出工艺对橡胶膜的韧性和热氧化稳定性的影响。例如，在浸出过程之后，1 wt％OSL / NR的拉伸强度，伸长率和韧性分别增加了27％，9％和32％。