In this article, thermoreversible covalent cross-linking of maleated natural rubber (MNR) with glycerol was studied. Firstly, NR was grafted with maleic anhydride using a reactive processing method. The result showed that MNR was successfully obtained without the addition of initiator. The highest grafting was 1.76%. Secondly, the obtained MNR was dissolved in toluene and then mixed with glycerol, which is used in this study as the thermoreversible cross-linking agent. Fourier transform infrared spectra of the casted MNR film mixed with glycerol showed that upon heating, covalent ester cross-links were formed via the reaction of succinic anhydride ring with hydroxyl groups of glycerol. The swelling test indicated that the swelling index (%) decreased with increasing glycerol loading. This indicated that the degree of cross-linking directly depended on the amount of glycerol. The tensile strength and modulus were significantly improved upon increasing the level of cross-linking. The MNR cross-linked with glycerol can be remolded at 150°C more than three times. After remolding, the mechanical properties decreased with increasing recycling round.
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