A high toughness elastomer based on natural Eucommia ulmoides gum

Eucommia ulmoides gum (EUG) is a kind of bio-based polymer with similar structure to natural rubber (NR). However, it behaves as hard plastic at room temperature due to crystallization, which makes it not as widely used as NR. Herein, a new bio-based elastomer (HEUG) was prepared by rhodium-catalyzed hydrogenation of EUG for the first time. ¹H-NMR and ¹³C-NMR spectroscopy confirmed the structure of HEUG, and wide angle X-ray diffraction, polarizing light microscopy showed that the crystal was gradually destroyed in the hydrogenation process, finding that when the degree of hydrogenation is more than 16.5%, HEUG transformed from plastic to elastomer at room temperature. Besides, the Synchrotron Radiation experiment showed that HEUG with hydrogenation of 85.9% could be self-reinforced by strain-induced crystallization during stretching, which make it has excellent tensile strength and toughness (21.4 MPa and 68.1 MJ m⁻³, respectively). This new bio-based elastomer has the potential to replace NR and has a wide application prospect in rubber industry.