What Is Synthetic Rubber Used For

One of the primary disadvantages of natural rubber is its limited supply.

What is synthetic rubber used for. The resulting synthetic rubber program was a remarkable scientific and engineering achievement. Depending on the chemicals added and the properties associated with it the synthetic rubber can be as hard as a bowling ball or as resilient as a rubber band or as soft as a sponge. This means that it is not a natural product and its production can have some detrimental effects to the environment including the depletion of the earth s natural resources. The synthetic rubber production process.

Natural rubber melts at around 180 c meaning it can t be used in applications where temperatures may exceed that limit. Mature rubber trees produce latex which can be harvested without harming the tree. The partnership of the government industry and academe expanded the u s. The first rubber polymer synthesized from butadiene was created in 1910 by the russian scientist sergei.

The expanded use of bicycles and particularly their pneumatic tires starting in the 1890s created increased demand for rubber in 1909 a team headed by fritz hofmann working at the bayer laboratory in elberfeld germany succeeded in polymerizing isoprene the first synthetic rubber. Synthetic rubber has been widely used for many years now. Nitrile rubber is known in synthetic rubber produced by polymerization of acrylonitrile with butadiene. Synthetic rubber industry from an annual output of 231 tons of general purpose rubber in 1941 to an output of 70 000 tons a month in 1945.

The trade off is that by the by it is a longer lasting material thus decreasing its necessity to be reproduced. Natural rubber in contrast to the man made type is not a product of petroleum but is grown on the hevea brasiliensis or rubber tree. History types and uses. It has the property of undergoing elastic stret.

Synthetic rubber is basically a polymer or an artificial polymer. Among the most important synthetic rubbers are butadiene rubber styrene butadiene rubber neoprene the polysulfide rubbers thiokols butyl rubber and the silicones. Synthetic rubber is used as a substitute for natural rubber in many cases. Synthetic rubbers like natural rubbers can be toughened by vulcanization and improved and modified for special purposes by reinforcement with other materials.

The cost on the other hand is a point in favor of natural rubber. Synthetic rubber is often used in car tires. Its durability gives it an edge when compared to natural rubber. Though natural rubber is both a renewable resource and a hugely versatile material there are some needs it cannot meet.