Enhancing antibacterial performance while maintaining natural rubber foam specifications: Is it possible?

Using an antibacterial agent in rubber normally affects the material’s physical properties. This study assesses the possibility of improving the antibacterial activity of natural rubber (NR) foam while maintaining the physical characteristics of the sample. The physical properties were controlled based on the classifications stated in ASTM D1056. The antibacterial agent used in this work was Triclosan where it was varied from 0–0.8 phr in NR foams. The results found that increasing the content of Triclosan increased the inhibition zone of S. aureus and E. coli . Upon inclusion of Triclosan, there was little effect on the foam classification. At low content of Triclosan, i.e., 0.2 and 0.4 phr, the grade number was maintained as 2A3 grade. However, the grade was changed from 2A3 to 2A4 when adding Triclosan at 0.6 and 0.8 phr. It is clear that adding an antibacterial agent does influence the characteristics of the foam.