1. Introduction:
There are many different types of rubber. A good way to get a basic understanding of them is to flip through the “how-to-draw” section of Rubber Chemistry and Polymer Science, where you’ll find lots of charts with information like this:
…just sort out the properties by color. It’s also a good idea to buy a rubber guidebook, like The Chemical Structure of Polymers and Rubber, which can be found at many hobby or art stores.
The following are rubber antioxidants:
Rubber Acids: These are the compounds that make up rubber. They can be made from fossil or renewable resources (e.g., coal or petroleum), but most commonly are made from petroleum through a series of processes known as “cracking”. When petroleum is heated, it generates gaseous products such as sulfur dioxide (SO2) and hydrogen sulfide (HS). The two gaseous products mix in the presence of air and form an organic compound known as polysulfide (PS). The PS combines with water molecules to form polyethersulfone (PES), which dissolves in water, forming polyethersulfone acrylates (PESA) and polyethersulfone methacrylates (PESM). These compounds then react with other chemicals in highly acidic environments to form softening agents such as ethylbenzene sulfonate, which can then be converted into hardening agents such as ethylbenzene sulfonate diisocyanate (EBSD). [Eric A. Neupert]
Rubber Acids: The following are commercially available rubber acids: Ethylene Dibromide Sulfonate Ethylene Chlorohydrin Sulfonate [L’Oréal]
Note that there is nothing wrong with these other “benzene derivatives” but when using them you will notice that they don’t have any effect on the properties listed above – they simply crosslink with latex and interfere with the ability for latex to dry properly when it’s being used for injection molding or for making molded parts for automotive parts. You should definitely avoid using these types of products if you’re going to do injection molding!
What are rubber antioxidants?
Rubber antioxidants are a new class of additives that are used to improve the performance of polymeric materials and lubricants. The additives can improve the wear resistance, stability, and oxidation resistance and can also bring about improved compatibility between the polymeric materials.
The additives are especially useful for improving the performance of polymeric materials such as polyolefins, polyurethanes, and elastomers.
These rubber antioxidants can be used in various polymerization processes to promote polymerization at elevated temperatures or by aqueous solutions.
2. What are the benefits of rubber antioxidants?
There are a lot of rubber antioxidants available in the market, however, these products are not safe to use in high quantities because of their toxicity to the human body. But what if you can do it safely? What if you can make your own rubber antioxidant products and sell them with zero risks?
We also found that using them along with a good lubricant increased their effectiveness (thereby increasing the lifespan) and reduced their cost. We put it down to some sort of synergy between the two:
- Rubber Antioxidants are chemically similar to Lubricants
- Lubricants contain shear agents
- Shear agents reduce friction without compromising lubricity
- Lubricants increase friction without compromising lubricity
- They work together with each other
3. What are the drawbacks of rubber antioxidants?
A rubber antioxidant is a molecule that chemically bonds to the surface of a synthetic polymer or plastic, and thus is not easily degraded by chemical reactions or water. As a result, the polymer or plastic can be used over and over again. The obvious drawback to this property is that the material must be protected from degradation by other chemicals in the manufacturing process. But there are also many other advantages:
- The antioxidants need not be replaced at regular intervals (though this can be done if required)
- The antioxidants are extremely stable in air and moisture, so they do not break down during storage
- Rubber antioxidants can be used on synthetic materials that do not break down when exposed to environmental conditions (for example, high temperatures).
Note that rubber antioxidants have been around for some time now: but despite their very good value — particularly given their ease of use — they have never caught on because the market has never seen the need for them until now. Most people would probably agree with me that there is no absolute reason for rubber antioxidants to ever make it into commercial products. But it’s easy to see how they could be useful as part of a product portfolio, especially given their stability and compatibility with existing products. I’d like to think I’m optimistic enough to believe that they could end up at least being considered before too long,
4. Are there any alternatives to rubber antioxidants?
Rubber antioxidants are a good way to reduce the impact of plastic or synthetic rubber on the environment. But they don’t work well in all situations, and there are alternatives.
The first and most commonly recommended alternative is to use post-consumer recycled rubber in place of virgin rubber. While this does provide some environmental benefits, it also has some drawbacks: it requires a significant upfront investment, and it’s not suitable for all types of synthetic rubbers or plastics; the post-consumer recycled rubber is made from tree sap and other raw materials that degrade over time (a process called degradability) which means we have to store it; post-consumer recycled rubber may not be completely biodegradable, requiring an additional disposal process at some point; and as well as being more environmentally friendly than virgin rubber, it doesn’t always perform well under harsh conditions (e.g., when exposed to high temperatures).
The second alternative (which is under development) is a synthetic rubber with an epoxy coating that provides excellent chemical resistance while still allowing low temperature flexibility in heat applications. The downside of this is that the coating may not be completely biodegradable, which means we might have to dispose of it at some point.
While both alternatives offer environmental benefits and cost advantages over virgin rubber (to a certain degree), neither offers everything you will want out of any kind of product:
a) The post-consumer recycled versions are made from tree sap or other raw materials whose degradation processes will degrade them over time (a process called degradability), which means we have to store them and dispose them at some point – since they will eventually degrade (if stored long enough) due to oxidation/deterioration;
b) They can perform poorly under harsh conditions – both because these conditions demand high chemical resistance but also because they are exposed too often to heat during useful periods like packaging operations;
c) They can only be produced using virgin materials – so they cannot replace virgin rubbers if you need something that is chemically resistant – e.g., in chemical resistant plastics–
d) If you need something that performs well under harsh conditions they may not be suitable due to their fragility and fragility associated with degradation issues
5. Conclusion:
There are a lot of different types of rubber. Different materials are usually made using different chemical processes. Some materials (including polyethylene and polypropylene) are made from natural rubber (buna, butyl rubber). Other materials (including latex and vinyl) are produced by chemical processes.
The best way to know if you have latex or vinyl is to look at the color of the rubber, because it is that color that indicates whether you have latex or vinyl. Based on this knowledge, you can choose the right material for your application.
As with all decisions related to environmental sustainability, these questions should be taken into account whenever possible: remember that your product will be used by people other than you. By design or by accident; helping or harming as individuals or as a whole; and so on. Just because products are “made” does not mean they should be treated as disposable objects — for whatever reason — by their creators, users or anyone else for that matter.
