The rising pollution level has become a major environmental concern. A report by the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency mentioned that in 2011, about 31.6 gigatons of carbon dioxide (CO2) was emitted globally, of which 23% emissions were reported from all transport sectors. This alarming concentration of CO2 along with sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide in the environment is immensely contributing to the greenhouse effect, which is causing drastic climatic changes across the globe.
Keeping this in mind, research and development activities are going on in developing vehicles that run on alternate sources of energy, but while that happens, researchers are also focusing on developing lightweight vehicles. Materials such as aluminum, plastic, and composites are now being preferred to plastics, steel, polyvinyl chloride, and rubber for constructing the vehicle body. Lightweight materials are being used in automotive manufacturing as they improve fuel efficiency. Therefore, automotive polymers are one such material that help in the manufacture of fuel-efficient lightweight vehicles.
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Elastomers are extremely elastic polymers that are lightly cross-linked and amorphous. The polymer chains are held together by weak intermolecular forces. Automotive elastomers are specifically used for manufacturing automotive components, such as body side cladding, grills, wheel trims, trunk seal to name a few, as they are resistant to high heat, and have low density and offer high glossy finish. They are of two types: thermoplastic and synthetic. Throughout 2012–2015, the demand for synthetic elastomers was higher between the two. Synthetic elastomers are manufactured artificially from petroleum by-products.
They are capable of handling a wide temperature range, and are resilient to various fluid types, corrosive, and extreme environments. Different types of synthetic polymers are silicone rubber, chloroprene rubber (CR), fluoroelastomers, nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR), ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM), and styrene butadiene rubber (SBR). In the coming time, thermoplastic elastomers would experience the fastest growth in demand in the coming years. The automotive elastomers market is predicted to grow at a 4.8% volume CAGR in the near future, as predicted by P&S intelligence.
Automotive elastomers are used for various applications, such as molded parts, weather seal, under hood, interior, and exterior. Among all, during 2012–2015, automotive elastomers were used the most for the exterior application. Automotive applications are a major part of the exterior applications, such as mirror gaskets, wiper deflectors, front and end parts, hood strip, and fuel filler seals. These elastomers offer high-quality finish, dimensional stability and durability, as well as result in the improved fuel efficiency and controls CO2 emissions. Further, as these elastomers are highly flexible, they allow the creation of complex designs.
In the coming years, the fastest growth in demand is predicted to be witnessed by the interior application, which is aimed at reducing the wear and tear of the interiors of an automobile, ranging from cup-holder liners, airbag cover, soft-touch grips, and armrest covers to dashboard covering, glass run channels and door trim panels, control panel switch, and console box liner. These elastomers help in the manufacture of cost-effective, innovative, and lightweight automobile interiors.