The flat tire may one day join the dodo, the rotary telephone and other items in the lexicon of things which no longer exist. A self-healing rubber material synthesized by researchers from University of Liverpool, University of Western Australia and Flinders University, Australia can be completely repaired and returned to its original The material can completely heal itself in minutes after exposure to an amine catalyst. Source: Samuel J. Tonkin et al.strength in minutes by use of an amine catalyst.

The rubber material is fabricated with industrial waste products sulfur, canola cooking oil and dicyclopentadiene from petroleum refining. The water- and corrosion-resistant rubber, which can also be recycled, bonds to itself when the amine catalyst is applied to the surface. The bonding process can be conducted at room temperature, which could make this materials technology useful for quickly repairing rubber products such as tires.

Research published in Chemical Science describes how two surfaces of the sulfur polymers manufactured by inverse vulcanization can be chemically joined at room temperature through a phosphine or amine-catalyzed exchange of the sulfur-sulfur bonds in the polymer. The researchers posit that the new rubber could find use as a latent adhesive or in additive manufacturing applications.