Rubber

:This article is about the material rubber, for other uses see Rubber (disambiguation)

Current sources of rubber

Today Asia is the main source of natural rubber. Over half of the rubber used today is synthetic, but several million tonnes of natural rubber are still produced annually, and is still essential for some industries, including automotive and military.

Related Topics:
Asia - Synthetic

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Hypoallergenic rubber can be made from Guayule.

Related Topics:
Hypoallergenic - Guayule

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Early experiments in the development of synthetic rubber led to the invention of Silly Putty.

Related Topics:
Synthetic rubber - Silly Putty

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Natural rubber is often vulcanized, a process by which the rubber is heated and sulfur is added to improve resilience and elasticity. The process of vulcanization greatly improved the durability and utility of rubber from the 1830s on. The successful development of vulcanisation is most closely associated with Charles Goodyear. Carbon black is often used as an additive to rubber to improve its strength, especially in vehicle tires.

Related Topics:
Vulcanized - Sulfur - 1830s - Charles Goodyear - Carbon black

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Rubber as a clothing material is fetishized by some people, perhaps on the basis that the garment forms a "second skin" that acts as a surrogate for the wearer's own skin. This is known as rubber fetishism.

Related Topics:
Fetishized - Rubber fetishism

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