Bridgestone Corporation has successfully created synthetic isoprene rubber (IR) which has the potential to contribute to the development of next-generation rubber with performance surpassing that of natural rubber (NR), the company announced in a statement.
Bridgestone was able to create the newly synthesised IR through precise molecular structure control utilising a new polymerisation catalyst that it has developed proprietarily. The company also said the IR can be created using isoprene derived from renewable biomass and is therefore anticipated to be a sustainable material.
According to the company’s statement, they will evaluate the necessary conditions for the process of bringing this IR to practical application and determine how to secure a stable supply of isoprene with the aim of realising practical application in the 2020s.
An organic resource produced by the Para rubber tree, natural rubber is an important raw material to tyre production due to its superior durability and wear resistance in comparison to synthetic rubber as well as its strong adhesiveness with reinforcement materials. As tyre demand increases on a global scale, the amount of natural rubber consumed is projected to grow.
Bridgestone has been advancing various research and development projects related to the Para rubber tree with the aim of securing a stable supply of natural rubber. At the same time, the company is also investing in researching means of creating synthetic rubber with performance surpassing that of natural rubber.
The company utilised a new, proprietarily developed polymerisation catalyst to successfully synthesise IR with exceptionally high molecular microstructure regularity similar to the levels seen in natural rubber. The IR also displays narrower polydispersity than natural rubber or conventional IR.
The new synthesised IR created by Bridgestone shows cis selectivity of 99.0-99.9% as compared to conventional IR’s 94.0-98.5% and natural rubber’s almost 100%. It also shows narrow polydispersity as opposed to the broad polydispersity exhibited by conventional IR and NR.
Performance evaluations of the tyre compound using the newly synthesised IR have also indicated that it surpasses tyre compounds using natural rubber in terms of strength performance and fuel-efficiency.
The Bridgestone Group has defined the goal of working toward making 100% of the raw materials used in its tyres sustainable materials by 2050. To accomplish this goal, the company is advancing research and development activities on various raw materials, including natural rubber and polyisoprene.