New SRI technique to measure atomic motion in rubber across wide time spans

Kobe, Japan - Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI) has developed a new synchrotron radiation technique capable of measuring atomic, molecular, and nanostructure motion in rubber over a broad spectrum of time scales.

The new technique was developed as part of a joint study with Tohoku University aimed at improving the wear resistance of tires, said SRI 18 June.

With conventional measuring technique, SRI said it was only able to measure atomic/molecular motion in rubber in a time domain of 10 to 1000 nanoseconds.

As a result, the team developed a new measurement system, using SPring-8 synchrotron radiation facility in Hyogo, Japan, which produces high-intensity x-ray beams.

Furthermore, the researchers used of Citius, a 2D x-ray camera with a pixel size of 72.6 μm and a frame rate of 17.4 kHz, which enables measuring the timescale of a moving object and its spatial scale at the same time.

By applying the techniques, the team succeeded in measuring motion in rubber within the range of 0.1 to 100 nanoseconds, said SRI.

Furthermore, the Japanese group said it integrated the new technique with traditional methods to be able to measure atomic or molecular motion across a broad time domain.

SRI expects to use the new process in developing high-performance tires with “high strength and excellent wear resistance.”