This study investigates the relationships between the morphology, energy absorption, and thermodynamic parameters of natural latex foams (NLFs) processed by the Dunlop and in-house Talalay methods, using different surfactant blends. Both methods involved mixing, moulding, and heating; the additional steps for the Talalay method involved cooling and gelation, a gel-freezing technique wherein the frozen foam is exposed to CO gas, inducing its transformation into a gel. The morphology of the internal structure of the NLFs was studied using 2D scanning electron micrographs and 3D micro- computerised tomography images. Two different surfactants, potassium laurate and pluronic, were used. Adding the blended surfactants reduced the porosity and increased the foam density of the NLF samples, improving mechanical properties. The cell size distribution of the NLF samples prepared using the Talalay method was broader than that of those prepared using the Dunlop method. In terms of the mechanical properties and energy absorption capabilities, the Talalay process resulted in samples with 20% lower compressive strength and 7% lower energy absorption than the control sample. A power-law relationship between the energy absorption per unit volume and the compression speed of the different foam samples was also observed. The ratio of the internal energy to the total compression force of the NLF samples prepared using the Talalay process was also lower than those prepared using the Dunlop process. The empirical insights derived from this study show how the mechanical properties and process technology associated with the producing of material foams could be improved.

中文翻译：

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表面活性剂处理的天然乳胶泡沫形态、热力学关系和能量吸收的比较研究：Talalay 与 Dunlop 处理


本研究研究了使用不同的表面活性剂混合物，通过 Dunlop 和内部 Talalay 方法加工的天然乳胶泡沫 (NLF) 的形态、能量吸收和热力学参数之间的关系。两种方法都涉及混合、成型和加热； Talalay 方法的附加步骤包括冷却和凝胶化，这是一种凝胶冷冻技术，其中冷冻泡沫暴露于 CO 气体中，导致其转变为凝胶。使用 2D 扫描电子显微照片和 3D 微型计算机断层扫描图像研究了 NLF 内部结构的形态。使用两种不同的表面活性剂：月桂酸钾和普朗尼克。添加混合表面活性剂降低了 NLF 样品的孔隙率并增加了泡沫密度，从而改善了机械性能。使用 Talalay 方法制备的 NLF 样品的细胞尺寸分布比使用 Dunlop 方法制备的样品更宽。在机械性能和能量吸收能力方面，Talalay工艺生产的样品比对照样品的抗压强度降低了20%，能量吸收降低了7%。还观察到不同泡沫样品的单位体积能量吸收与压缩速度之间的幂律关系。使用 Talalay 工艺制备的 NLF 样品的内能与总压缩力的比率也低于使用 Dunlop 工艺制备的样品。这项研究得出的实证见解表明了如何改进与泡沫材料生产相关的机械性能和工艺技术。