Researchers at the Flinders University have developed a self-repairing rubber adhesive or super-adhesive made from waste materials. The new rubber adhesive and catalyst can be used together with low energy consumption to make flexible, repairable, sustainable objects – including car tires.
The new rubber adhesive is made from cheap and plentiful industrial waste products, such as sulfur, canola cooking oil and dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) from petroleum refining. The amine catalyst causes the rubber to self-repair within minutes at room temperature.
New Rubber Adhesive Resistant to Water and Corrosion
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The study reveals a new concept in the repair, adhesion and recycling of sustainable rubber,” said associate professor Justin Chalker. The chemistry of waste rubber materials has wide potential in recycling, next-generation adhesives, and additive manufacturing.
Researchers from the Chalker Lab at the Flinders University Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, with University of Liverpool and University of Western Australia colleagues, said the new rubber can be used as a “latent adhesive”.
The rubber bonds to itself when the amine catalyst is applied to the surface. The adhesion is stronger than many commercial glues. The rubber polymer is also resistant to water and corrosion. Rubber bricks made from the new polymer can be chemically joined by applying amine catalyst.
Source: Flinders University