Cold‐Resistant Rubbers Based on Flexible Polymer Chains

Abstract

Comprehensive SummaryAs one of the three types of polymeric materials, rubber has played an irreplaceable role in various fields such as industrial production, aerospace, military, and national defense. Improving the cold resistance of rubbers and extending their service temperature range have always been one of the main focuses in rubber research. However, there have been few detailed public reports or literatures on the progress or summary of cold‐resistant rubbers, creating an invisible barrier for new researchers wishing to enter this field of research. Therefore, starting from the basis of polymer physics, this review introduces the research difficulties in this field and systematically summarizes the research progress in constructing cold‐resistant rubbers based on three different types of flexible polymer chains in recent years. In addition, several important properties of cold‐resistant rubbers including mechanical performance, oil resistance, and self‐healing ability are also discussed along with the summary of recent progresses. Finally, the future challenges and prospects of cold‐resistant rubbers are discussed. It is hoped that this review will attract more attentions from polymer or material scientists, thus activating the fundamental research in the field of cold‐resistant rubber and promoting its practical application.