ELASTOMERS .3. THERMOPLASTIC ELASTOMERS

Before 1920 the only available elastomer was natural rubber (NR) (1). However, several synthetic elastomers (synthetic rubber (SR)) have been introduced since the late 1920's (2). The bridge between NR and SR was provided by the introduction of thermoplastic elastomers (TPE's). As described in this article, TPE's are readily moldable and do not require the addition of vulcanization agents for the formation of chemical cross-links between polymer chains. Instead, the hard domains in TPE's serve as polymer crosslinks, which prevent slippage of polymer chains at ordinary temperatures.