Imagine a self-healing rubber or a super adhesive made entirely of waste. This sounds like a science fiction novel, but researchers have discovered a new type of rubber and catalyst that can be used together in a low-energy way to make flexible, repairable, sustainable items, such as car tires.
New self-healing rubber
This new type of rubber material is made of cheap and abundant industrial waste sulfur, rapeseed oil, and dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) produced by oil refineries. Restore its original intensity within minutes.
Research leader Flinders University (Flinders University) associate professor Justin Chalker (Justin Chalker) said that if this new type of rubber is damaged, it can be seamlessly repaired and recycled. The team's breakthrough discovery was published in the internationally leading "Chemical Science" magazine.
Scientists say that in some cases, the amine catalyst used to initiate the self-healing reaction of rubber occurs within a few minutes and is completed at room temperature.
Associate Professor Chalk said: "This research reveals a new concept of sustainable rubber repair, bonding and recycling." He added that too much plastic, rubber and ceramics are not recyclable.
Each passenger car tire contains about 1.5 kg of steel, 0.5 kg of textile and 7 kg of rubber. -Source: Planet Ark. In Australia, the equivalent of 48 million tires (tires) expire each year, and only 16% of them are recycled domestically. About two-thirds of the waste tires were eventually landfilled, stored, illegally dumped or whereabouts were unknown. This is a waste of resources and causes health and environmental problems. It is great to see the recycling of these materials.
Latent adhesive
Researchers from the Chalker Lab at the Institute of Nanoscale Science and Technology at Flinders University, researchers at the University of Liverpool and the University of Western Australia say the new rubber can be used as a "potential binder.
Dr. Tom Hassel, a researcher at the University of Liverpool, said: "When an amine catalyst is applied to a surface, the rubber will stick to itself. This adhesion is stronger than many commercial glues."
"This polymer also has water resistance and corrosion resistance." Rubber bricks made with this polymer can be chemically connected by using catalysts. "In some cases, the amine catalyst will bond the rubber in a few minutes, and it can be performed at room temperature," explained Sam Tonkin, lead author of Flinders University. "Rubber can also be used as a potential adhesive. When an amine catalyst is used, it bonds to the surface of another piece of rubber." Before using the catalyst, rubber is basically not 'sticky'. "
In addition to having practical value, the papers published by the researchers also conducted detailed basic research on the rubber repair mechanism….