A cut or torn tire usually means one thing – you have to buy a new one.
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Vulcanization involves adding sulfur or other curatives to make rubber more durable while maintaining its elasticity.
A cut in a modern auto tire typically can’t be patched.
The researchers turned to a simple approach that converted widely used, commercially available bromobutyl rubber into a highly elastic material imbued with self-healing properties. This healing works at room temperature, so a tire in a garage would still heal itself, though applying heat speeds up the healing. Scientists have found a way to turn rubber into a “self-healing” material. The development could pave the way for a world without flat tires.
A team of scientists from the Leibniz Institute for Polymer Research (Germany), the Tampere University of Technology (Finland) and the Dresden University of Technology (Germany) are attempting to get around that limitation, by getting rid of the vulcanization process altogether. After eight days the researchers observed that the rubber could withstand 754 PSI, and by adding reinforcing agents, it could be made even stronger. Heating the rubber to 212º F (100 ºC) for the first 10 minutes accelerated the process.
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Other authors for the study include: Gert Heinrich, Brigitte Voit, Klaus Werner Stöckelhuber, Sven Wießner, Debdipta Basu, Marcus Suckow, Frank Böhme and Aladdin Sallat.
