Thermoset elastomers such as styrene butadiene rubber, butadiene rubber, nitrile rubber, isobutylene isoprene rubber, ethylene propylene rubber, polyisoprene rubber, and chloroprene rubber have viscoelastic properties that make them tough, pliable, and heat-resistant. Due to their superior durability and material propertiest, synthetic elastomers have replaced natural rubber over the past few decades in applications ranging from vehicle tires to shoe soles, rubber gloves, tubes and hoses, paint, flexible rubber toys, and more. These rubber materials typically take a long time to fabricate and cure, however leading to low manufacturing throughput and high equipment, mold, and curing footprint/storage expenses.
Frontal ring-opening metathesis polymerization (FROMP) is a technique for rapidly curing resins/monomers into high-quality thermoset materials using negligible energy inputs. The exothermic reaction can be triggered by a short pulse of heat, light, etc. and propagates through a resin system, allowing for rapid manufacturing of materials at nearly any scale. Researchers from the University of Illinois have adapted FROMP for fabricating elastomeric materials, namely 1,4-polybutadiene and co-polymers of 1,4-polybutadiene (e.g., tire rubber), along with elastomer/non-elastomer hybrid materials that can be designed to exhibit shape memory properties. This technology is part of a broader portfolio that includes a wide range of catalysts, activation mechanisms, and manufacturing approaches.
Benefits
- Rapid fabrication of elastomers (seconds as opposed to minutes/hours)
- Higher manufacturing throughput
- Reduced footprint needed to accommodate components in various stages of cure
- Can be used to manufacture pure elastomer or composite materials
- Dramatically lower energy requirements
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