Rubber technology Rubber technology Rubber Technology is the subject dealing with the transformation of rubbers or elastomers into useful products, such as automobile tires, rubber mats and, exercise rubber stretching bands. The materials includes latex, natural rubber, synthetic rubber and other polymeric materials, such as thermoplastic elastomers. Rubber processed through such methods are components of a wide range of items. Most rubber products are vulcanized, a process which involves heating with a small quantity of sulphur (or equivalent cross-linking agent) so as to stabilise the polymer chains, over a wide range of temperature. This discovery was made by Charles Goodyear in the
Rubber toughening of waste rubber from car tires has sparked interest in finding uses for this discarded rubber. The rubber can be turned into a fine powder, which can then be used as a toughening agent for polystyrene. However, poor miscibility between the waste rubber and polystyrene will weaken the material. This problem requires the use of a compatibilizer (see "compatibilization") in order to reduce interfacial tension and ultimately make rubber toughening of polystyrene effective. A polystyrene/styrene-butadiene copolymer acts to increase the adhesion between the dispersed and continuous phases. Rubber toughening Rubber toughening is a process in which rubber nanoparticles are interspersed