Applications of synthetic rubber. Where is synthetic rubber used?
After the invention of the vulcanization process, a real “rubber boom” began. People started producing all kinds of goods from natural rubber, and demand for them grew at tremendous speed. Despite the existence of huge plantations of Hevea trees, there was no longer enough natural rubber. Therefore, it became necessary to create rubber by chemical means.
History of the creation of synthetic rubber
Many scientists around the world worked on creating synthetic rubber. Interest in creating this type of rubber grew not only because of the shortage of Hevea, but also because many countries depended on imports of natural rubber. Substances of a rubber-like nature were first obtained in 1879, but they did not find large-scale application as required.
Only in 1910 did the Russian scientist Sergey Lebedev manage to create butadiene rubber used for industrial purposes. Today, there are many different types of synthetic rubber. They all differ in production technology and properties, which means that the fields and applications of synthetic rubbers also differ.
Applications of general-purpose synthetic rubbers
As mentioned earlier, there is not just one type of synthetic rubber, but several. They are divided into two large groups: general-purpose and special-purpose rubbers. First, let us look at those belonging to the first group. General-purpose rubbers usually do not have any special properties, such as increased wear resistance, frost resistance, or special strength, because they are used to produce general-purpose goods for which the properties listed above are not actually needed. It may also be the case that a rubber already has certain properties sufficient for manufacturing a particular product due to its production technology. Let us consider all this with examples.
General-purpose rubbers include butadiene-styrene rubber, ethylene-propylene rubber, butyl rubber, polybutadiene rubber, and others. Butadiene-styrene rubber surpasses natural rubber in wear resistance, water resistance, and strength, but is inferior in frost resistance. It is used in the tire industry, the rubber goods industry, footwear production, and the cable industry. In addition, this type of rubber is actively used in construction for the production of paints and construction latex.
Butyl rubber is a very interesting synthetic rubber. It is used in the tire industry to produce inner tubes and diaphragms because it retains air well and keeps its initial pressure for a long time, thereby increasing the service life of tires. In addition, butyl rubber is used in the cable industry to manufacture insulation for cables and electrical wires, as well as to produce chemically resistant gloves, sports balls, conveyor belts, milking machines, and even solid rocket fuel.
Applications of special-purpose synthetic rubbers
The fields and applications of special-purpose synthetic rubbers are not as extensive, because they are intended to give a specific property to a product of the rubber goods industry. Examples include tires with special frost resistance or highly wear-resistant rubber shoe soles. Such rubbers include chloroprene rubber, butadiene-nitrile rubber, polysulfide rubbers, and others.
Chloroprene rubber is characterized by high resistance to high temperatures, as well as to oils and gasoline. This determines its use in the cable and oil industries. Since butadiene-nitrile rubber is resistant to aggressive environments and the effects of adverse external factors, it is actively used to produce protective coatings, rubber products resistant to gasoline and oils, and electrically conductive rubbers. It is also used in the footwear, oil, and printing industries.
It is worth noting that synthetic rubber is not inferior to natural rubber in its properties and even surpasses it in some respects. You can learn more about the history, properties, and applications of natural rubber in our article “Applications of natural rubber”.