Reactive Modification of Poly(Ethylene‐ co ‐Vinyl Acetate)/Waste Glove Rubber ( EVA / WGR ) Composites by Maleic Anhydride ( MAH ) Grafting: Mechanical Performance and Energy Dissipation

ABSTRACT In this study, waste latex gloves from excess or defective industrial production were recycled and used as a raw material to prepare EVA/waste glove rubber (WGR) composites. WGR was blended with poly(ethylene‐co‐vinyl acetate) (EVA) at different compositions to investigate how blend composition and maleic anhydride (MAH) grafting affect the chemical, mechanical, and energy‐dissipation behavior of the resulting composites. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, tensile testing, Shore A hardness measurements, and cyclic compression analyses were conducted to characterize the composites. The results showed that increasing EVA content improved elastic modulus, tensile strength, Shore hardness, absorbed energy, and energy‐dissipation capability while preserving substantial elastic recovery under repeated compression. To promote interactions between the EVA and WGR phases and enable effective incorporation of high amounts of WGR, MAH grafting was applied to the EVA/WGR system. The grafted composites exhibited marked improvements in elastic modulus, tensile strength, and generally in elongation at break and absorbed energy compared with ungrafted blends. These improvements were consistent with enhanced interactions and more effective stress transfer between the EVA matrix and WGR particles, and FTIR provided spectroscopic evidence supporting MAH grafting. Among the investigated compositions, the MAH‐grafted composite containing 60 phr EVA and 40 phr WGR exhibited the highest first‐cycle absorbed energy among the grafted composites under 50% cyclic compression. These findings demonstrate that MAH grafting can facilitate the value‐added utilization of waste glove rubber in EVA/WGR composites with enhanced mechanical and cyclic energy‐dissipation behavior, suggesting their potential for vibration isolation, shock absorption, and damping‐related applications.