Progress and Challenges of Rubber Materials
A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymeric Materials".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2026 | Viewed by 15
Special Issue Editors
Interests: rubbers; rubber composites; reinforcement; carbon-based fillers; magnetic fillers; biopolymer fillers; filler/rubber interactions; surface modification; vulcanization; analysis of cross-link density; network structure
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: rubber; polymers; polymer blends; composites and nanocomposites; biopolymers; multiphase polymer system structures; surface modification of polymers by chemical and physical methods; plasma treatment; reinforcement; vulcanization; recycling of polymers
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Since the discovery of rubber and vulcanization process, rubber-based products have become irreplaceable materials not only in various technological applications but also in everyday life, from tiny seals and gaskets, conveyor belts, and tires to products used in the pharmacy, healthcare, and food industries. With the development of science and technology, rubber-related materials have also been part of more challenging applications, ranging from marine, aviation, or space technology to sensors, actuators, or shielding materials. This poses much higher demands on the requirements of rubber-based products in terms of their functional properties. Thus, more research interest is focused on smart material structures and composites, functional fillers, special additives, vulcanization systems, testing methodologies, and production strategies.
With an increasing demand for tires as well as other rubber-related products, an increasing amount of waste rubber is produced every year. Waste rubber has become a serious problem that is causing serious environmental and socioeconomical issues. Thus, efficient methods for waste rubber valorization and recycling technologies are needed.
This trend is also narrowly linked with the utilization of biodegradable or eco-friendly materials to pursuit the “European Green Deal”. One way to produce greener and more sustainable rubber products is to utilize untraditional additives originating from renewable resources and modify waste rubber into rubber compounds. The application of natural-derived raw materials or recovery of waste rubber into rubber matrices paves the way for the production of products with a higher added value, pronounced ecological and economical aspects, and with a positive effect on reducing carbon footprint.
This Special Issue, entitled “Progress and Challenges of Rubber Materials”, is devoted to all aspects of rubber science and technology, including, but not limited to, the following: rubbers, thermoplastic elastomers, blends, composites, smart materials, eco-friendly materials, fillers, vulcanization systems, rheology, new approaches in testing, methodology, processing and fabrication techniques, 3D-printing, ageing, and recycling.
Dr. Jan Kruzelak
Prof. Dr. Ivan Hudec
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- rubber
- compounds
- composites
- smart materials
- vulcanization
- fillers
- additives
- testing
- processing
- sustainability
- recycling
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