Why use rare earths in rubber production? Chinese scientists are engineering tougher tyres

A new facility leverages decades of research to produce high-strength rubber designed to meet requirements of EVs and heavy-duty transport Starting production on July 16, the plant draws on more than 60 years of research into rare earth catalytic synthesis of butadiene rubber, which the institute said it helped to pioneer in the 1960s. Butadiene rubber is a type of synthetic rubber that is highly resilient and wear-resistant, and is used to produce tyres and other high-quality rubber-based products. Cis-butadiene rubber refers to a high-grade form engineered to have better durability and elasticity. Butadiene rubber is typically produced using a metal-based catalyst, mainly nickel, titanium, cobalt, or rare earth metals. One of the main catalytic systems uses neodymium, a rare earth metal produced mainly by China.

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