Self-repairing rubber made from waste ideal for variety of uses, researchers say

May 18 (UPI) -- Scientists have developed a new type of rubber that is super-adhesive. When the material is combined with a special catalyst, it becomes self-healing.

Researchers created the rubber using only waste materials, including sulfur, canola cooking oil and dicyclopentadiene from petroleum refining. When damaged, scientists triggered the rubber to quickly repair itself at room temperature using an amine catalyst. Within minutes, the rubber was as strong as before.

The rubber material, which is fully recyclable, could serve as a sustainable solution to a variety of industrial and environmental problems, including the problem of used tires, which are clogging landfills all over the globe.

"This study reveals a new concept in the repair, adhesion and recycling of sustainable rubber," lead researcher Justin Chalker, an associate professor at Flinders University in Australia, said in a news release.

Because the new rubber -- described in the journal Chemical Science -- is made of only waste materials, it could help decrease the carbon footprint of the tire industry. Currently, tires are made from raw steel, textiles and rubber, the production of which demands significant amounts of energy and causes pollution.

The new rubber material could be used in a variety of applications, not just for tire-making, account to scientists.

"It is exciting to see how the underlying chemistry of these materials has such wide potential in recycling, next-generation adhesives, and additive manufacturing," said Chalker.

The catalyst used to self-repair the rubber could also be used to create industrial-strength adhesive.

"The rubber bonds to itself when the amine catalyst is applied to the surface," said University of Liverpool researcher Tom Hasell. "The adhesion is stronger than many commercial glues."

The rubber is also resistant to water and corrosion. Researchers claim the polymer could be formed into bricks and fused together using the amine catalyst.

"In some cases, the amine catalyst causes the rubber to bond in just minutes, and it can be done at room temperature," said Sam Tonkin, Flinders researcher and lead study author. "The rubber can also be used as a latent adhesive, where it bonds to the surface of another piece of rubber when the amine catalyst is applied. Basically the rubber is not 'sticky' until the catalyst is applied."