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Rubber elasticity
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<p>Rubber elasticity is the ability of solid rubber to be stretched up to a factor of 10 from its original length, and return to close to its original length upon release. This process can be repeated many times with no apparent <a href="/facts/Material_failure_theory/pPSSGr6g">degradation</a> to the rubber. </p><p>Rubber, like all materials, consists of <a href="/facts/Molecule/N9ljSfFq">molecules</a>. Rubber's <a href="/facts/Elasticity_(physics)/wcJoIFg1">elasticity</a> is produced by <a href="/facts/Molecular_dynamics/yR3DNt6U">molecular processes</a> that occur due to its <a href="/facts/Molecular_structure/N9ljSfFq">molecular structure</a>. Rubber's molecules are <a href="/facts/Polymer/eF32E50K">polymers</a>, or large, chain-like molecules. Polymers are produced by a process called <a href="/facts/Polymerization/1hmBz7Ur">polymerization</a>. This process builds polymers up by sequentially adding short molecular backbone units to the chain through <a href="/facts/Chemical_reaction/GpqWlKrz">chemical reactions</a>. A rubber polymer follows a random winding path in three dimensions, intermingling with many other rubber polymers. </p><p>Natural rubbers, such as <a href="/facts/Polybutadiene/RxVmrf4B">polybutadiene</a> and <a href="/facts/Polyisoprene/XDNArVtr">polyisoprene</a>, are extracted from plants as a fluid <a href="/facts/Colloid/9EVucqND">colloid</a> and then solidified in a process called <a href="/facts/Vulcanization/jmBUqGaz">Vulcanization</a>. During the process, a small amount of a cross-linking molecule, usually <a href="/facts/Sulfur/IK0amTfM">sulfur</a>, is added. When heat is applied, sections of rubber's <a href="/facts/Polymer_chain/eF32E50K">polymer chains</a> <a href="/facts/Chemical_bond/ArNUMnIB">chemically bond</a> to the cross-linking molecule. These bonds cause rubber polymers to become <a href="/facts/Cross-link/zeQ9hEAA">cross-linked</a>, or joined to each other by the bonds made with the cross-linking molecules. Because each rubber polymer is very long, each one participates in many crosslinks with many other rubber molecules, forming a continuous network. The resulting molecular structure demonstrates elasticity, making rubber a member of the class of elastic <a href="/facts/Polymer/eF32E50K">polymers</a> called <a href="/facts/Elastomer/kCSD0udN">elastomers</a>. </p>