Synthetic rubber and natural rubber have many excellent properties, but there are also big differences between them. For example, synthetic rubber is relatively easy to make and is more resistant to wear, grease, oil, and heat than natural rubber. And like natural rubber, synthetic rubber is highly flexible. It maintains its flexibility even at low temperatures. With proper manufacturing methods, synthetic rubber can also be highly resistant to extreme temperatures and chemical corrosion, making it an important rubber component for many devices.
What is a synthetic rubber?
Synthetic rubber is a catalytic monomer that cracks hydrocarbons. These monomers polymerize to form long chains. The addition of polymer chains such as butadiene, styrene, isoprene, chloroprene, acrylonitrile, fluorine, ethylene, and propylene produces a variety of synthetic polymers. Rubber compounds are produced by taking these polymers and adding varying proportions of fillers, protectants, plasticizers, vulcanizers, and other chemicals to produce specific physical and chemical properties.
Silicone Rubber
Silicone rubber is also a synthetic elastomer composed of silicone polymers. Silicone is made from the polymerization of silicon in sand or quartz. While most synthetic polymers have a carbon-carbon backbone, the silicone backbone is composed of silicon-oxygen. These chemical bonds give silicone rubber its special high-temperature properties. Silicone rubber is widely used in industry and has many formulations. Silicone rubber is usually one or two polymers, and may also contain other fillers to improve its properties or reduce cost. Silicone rubber generally does not react with other substances, is stable, and can withstand extreme environments and temperatures.
Before World War II
While many attribute the rise in demand for synthetic rubber to World War II, the initial growth in synthetic rubber products actually dates back to the growing demand for pneumatic bicycle tires in the 1890s. This need led (in part) to the polymerization of the first synthetic rubber in 1909 by a team of German scientists led by Fritz Hoffman, the world's first synthetic rubber of patent holders. Work in the late 1930s created neoprene, one of the first successful rubber composites and the first in the Buna family of rubbers.
During World War II
The outbreak of World War II resulted in the United States losing 90% of the world's natural rubber supply. At this time, U.S. natural rubber inventories were approximately 1 million tons, annual consumption was approximately 600,000 tons, and there were no commercial processes to produce general-purpose synthetic rubber. Conservation, recycling,
and storage activities cannot fill the gap in rubber consumption. By mid-1942, the Axis powers controlled nearly all of the world's natural rubber supplies.
President Franklin Roosevelt was well aware of the vulnerability the United States faced from its dependence on threatened supplies of natural rubber. In response, he established the Rubber Reserve Company (RRC) in June 1940. The RRC has set goals for storing rubber, including saving the use of rubber in tires by setting speed limits and collecting waste rubber for recycling.
After the supply of natural rubber was lost, the RRC required the four major rubber companies to produce 400,000 tons of general-purpose synthetic rubber per year. On December 19, 1941, Jersey Standard, Firestone, Goodrich, Goodyear, and the United States Rubber Company signed a patent and information-sharing agreement.
Firestone produced the program's first package of synthetic rubber on April 26, 1942, followed by Goodyear on May 18, U.S. Rubber Company on September 4, and Goodrich on November 27. In 1942, these four plants produced 2,241 tons of synthetic rubber. By 1945, the United States was producing about 920,000 tons of rubber annually, 85 percent of which was synthetic rubber. The four largest companies account for 85% of this production, accounting for 547,500 tons per year.
Now
As of 2005, more than 58% of rubber products contain synthetic rubber.
Silicone rubber has many excellent properties and is commonly used in a variety of products. Silicone does not degrade easily at high temperatures and is non-toxic and harmless to humans, making it a popular choice for cooking and baking tool accessories. In recent years, silicones have been found in most consumer products, such as sportswear, storage containers, electronics, cosmetics, and footwear.
Industrial uses of synthetic rubber include automotive products, sealants and insulators. Silicone can also be used in many medical products such as tubing, syringe components, fluid management components, and more.
For more information on rubber (synthetic or natural) or rubber product resources, please contact LindePolymer.
