Toyoda Gosei develops technology for shape-retaining rubber

Kiyosu, Japan – Japan’s Toyoda Gosei has developed a shape-retaining rubber “that readily regains its shape even after force has been applied for long times at high temperatures.”

The company said it has struck a balance between elasticity and heat resistance by optimising the rubber mix.

The new design, said Toyoda Gosei, has chemicals that contribute to heat resistance in addition to a rubber material formulation technology that makes the rubber twice as likely to regain its shape.

In an in-house test, said Toyoda Gosei, permanent distortion from compression was about half that of previous materials, while the material can be stretched more than four times the original shape.

The technology received an award at the 71^st Rubber Technology Advancement Awards sponsored by the Society of Rubber Science and Technology, Japan.

The new materials could be used in sealing parts that are thinner, lighter, and have longer lives for use in battery units and other parts of next-generation vehicles, which demand long-term durability.