Researchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have developed a new form of natural rubber that retains its hallmark elasticity and durability while achieving up to 10 times greater resistance to cracking. This breakthrough could extend the lifespan of rubber products, enhancing their sustainability by reducing material waste and replacement frequency.

Sustainable Material Innovation

Natural rubber, harvested from the latex of the Hevea tree, is one of the world’s most widely used biobased materials. It features in products ranging from tyres and conveyor belts to gloves, footwear, and medical devices. Despite decades of use, its resistance to crack growth has seen little improvement—until now.

The research team, led by Professor Zhigang Suo and Yakov Kutsovsky, modified the traditional high-intensity vulcanisation process. Instead of cutting long polymer chains into shorter segments, their low-intensity method preserves these long chains, creating what they term a rubber tanglemer. In this structure, the chains intertwine like “tangled spaghetti,” dispersing stress more effectively and allowing more material crystallisation under strain.

Performance Gains

When tested, the new rubber showed four times better resistance to slow crack growth during repeated stretching and became ten times tougher overall. The enhanced durability stems from the way long polymer strands distribute mechanical stress and slide past one another at crack tips, preventing fractures from spreading.

While the process currently involves high water evaporation—limiting output volume—the material is already suitable for thin rubber products such as gloves and condoms. Future applications could expand into flexible electronics, soft robotics, and high-performance automotive or aerospace components. For packaging designers, the innovation could inspire more durable elastic closures or seals in biobased packaging solutions.

Implications for Designers

By preserving the natural molecular structure of rubber, this method extends product lifespans without sacrificing flexibility or elasticity. For designers working in sectors that demand long-lasting, high-performance, and sustainable elastomers, such as automotive interiors, wearable products, or adaptive architectural elements, the technology offers both environmental and functional benefits.

As researchers refine the production process to scale up for thicker, larger-volume products, the potential applications could broaden to tyres, industrial belts, and other heavy-duty uses—furthering the shift towards more sustainable material choices.

Source: Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
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