Rubber in Liquid Nitrogen Demo (Stiffness/Fracture)

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Rubber is an elastomer, with glass transition temperature below room temperature. So at room temperature the secondary bonds between the chains have melted, and it is the low cross-link density that enables large recoverable strains with very low Young's modulus. Cooling the rubber in liquid nitrogen takes the material well below Tg - the secondary bonding between chains is activated, and the Young's modulus increases by a factor around 1000. At the same time, the rubber becomes very brittle. The change is fully reversible - back at room temperature, the familiar large strain elasticity is restored.

Last updated: February 2011
Dr Hugh Shercliff