Rubber is a material with very high elasticity. Due to this feature, these materials are widely used in some industries such as industrial washers and making car rubber. Some people confuse this material with plastics. But there is a lot of difference between rubber and plastic in its structure, physical and chemical properties. This difference is due to the type of polymer, its use and the connections of these polymers to each other. Rubbers generally do not have non-industrial uses. In the sense that they are used only in the industrial sector for the production of some products. Its most important property is its elasticity, so that it sometimes stretches up to 60 times its original length. One of the characteristics of elastic materials is the characteristic of heat transfer during stretching and its return. Natural rubber also loses heat when it stretches and absorbs heat when it returns. In other words, rubber is a material that has low elasticity along with high elongation and contraction. So the most important characteristics of rubber is their high elasticity. In general, the main use of these materials is also related to this characteristic of rubber, but on the other hand, two of the negative features of these materials are non-degradability and non-recyclability of these materials. Also, these materials release some toxic substances to nature in response to heat. Therefore, the use of these materials is limited in specific uses. Other properties of rubber include low resistance to chemical reactions and high resistance to heat. Although the type of polymer is very important in forming the characteristics of rubber, but its type does not make the properties of rubber, rather the connections between polymers play a high role in forming the main characteristics of rubber. In fact, the properties of the raw polymer do not represent the compounds and properties of the rubber in the final state, because we need a long-time process to achieve some of the desired properties for a rubber, and this time for the process increases the price of the rubber. In general, rubber has a low modulus of elasticity and because of this, it is able to withstand deformation up to more than a thousand percent. There are many types of rubbers. Although the use of these rubbers is generally limited to industrial cases, the use of these types of materials is still necessary and important in many industries. In general, all types of rubber are divided into two main categories: natural rubber and synthetic rubber. All types of rubber have similar components, which include the following:

  • Elastomer
  • Curing agents
  • Fillers
  • Softeners
  • Adhesives
  • Antioxidants
  • Dyes
  • Retarders

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