Neoprene
strands.[3] Outside of Russia and China, about 300,000
A neck seal, wrist seal, manual vent, inflator, zip and fabric of a
neoprene dry suit. Here the soft thin rubber-like seal material at
neck and wrists is made from non-foam neoprene for elasticity;
the blue area is a thin blue knit fabric laminated onto spongy
foamed neoprene for insulation.
Chemical structure of the repeating unit of polychloroprene
Neoprene or polychloroprene is a family of synthetic
rubbers that are produced by polymerization of
chloroprene.[1] Neoprene exhibits good chemical sta-
bility and maintains flexibility over a wide temperature
range. Neoprene is sold either as solid rubber or in latex
form, and is used in a wide variety of applications, such
as laptop sleeves, orthopedic braces (wrist, knee, etc.),
electrical insulation, liquid and sheet applied elastomeric
membranes or flashings, and automotive fan belts.[2]
1 Production
Neoprene is produced by free-radical polymerization of
chloroprene. In commercial production, this polymer is
prepared by free radical emulsion polymerization. Poly-
merization is initiated using potassium persulfate. Bi-
functional nucleophiles, metal oxides (e.g. zinc oxide),
and thioureas are used to crosslink individual polymer
1
tons of neoprene are produced annually.[1]
2 History
Neoprene was invented by DuPont scientists on April
17, 1930 after Dr Elmer K. Bolton of DuPont attended
a lecture by Fr Julius Arthur Nieuwland, a professor of
chemistry at the University of Notre Dame. Nieuwland’s
research was focused on acetylene chemistry and dur-
ing the course of his work he produced divinyl acety-
lene, a jelly that firms into an elastic compound simi-
lar to rubber when passed over sulfur dichloride. After
DuPont purchased the patent rights from the university,
Wallace Carothers of DuPont took over commercial de-
velopment of Nieuwland’s discovery in collaboration with
Nieuwland himself. Arnold Collins at DuPont focused
on monovinyl acetylene and reacted the substance with
hydrogen chloride gas, manufacturing chloroprene.[4]
DuPont first marketed the compound in 1931 under the
trade name DuPrene,[5] but its commercial possibili-
ties were limited by the original manufacturing process,
which left the product with a foul odor.[6] A new pro-
cess was developed, which eliminated the odor-causing
byproducts and halved production costs, and the com-
pany began selling the material to manufacturers of fin-
ished end-products.[6] To prevent shoddy manufacturers
from harming the product’s reputation, the trademark
DuPrene was restricted to apply only to the material sold
by DuPont.[6] Since the company itself did not manu-
facture any DuPrene-containing end products, the trade-
mark was dropped in 1937 and replaced with a generic
name, neoprene, in an attempt “to signify that the mate-
rial is an ingredient, not a finished consumer product”.[7]
DuPont then worked extensively to generate demand for
its product, implementing a marketing strategy that in-
cluded publishing its own technical journal, which exten-
sively publicized neoprene’s uses as well as advertising
other companies’ neoprene-based products.[6] By 1939,
sales of neoprene were generating profits over $300,000
for the company (equivalent to $5,103,589 in 2015).[6]
2 3 APPLICATIONS

3 Applications sure protection under 100 feet of water than at the sur-
face. A recent advance in neoprene for wet suits is the
“super-flex” variety, which mixes spandex into the neo-
3.1 General
prene for greater flexibility.
Neoprene resists degradation more than natural or Competitive swimming wetsuits are made of the most ex-
synthetic rubber. This relative inertness makes it well panded foam; they have to be very flexible to allow the
suited for demanding applications such as gaskets, hoses, swimmer unrestricted movement. The downside is that
and corrosion-resistant coatings.[1] It can be used as a they are quite fragile.
base for adhesives, noise isolation in power transformer
installations, and as padding in external metal cases to
protect the contents while allowing a snug fit. It re- 3.4 Home accessories
sists burning better than exclusively hydrocarbon based
rubbers,[8] resulting in its appearance in weather strip- Recently, neoprene has become a favorite material for
ping for fire doors and in combat related attire such lifestyle and other home accessories including laptop
as gloves and face masks. Because of its tolerance of sleeves, tablet holders, remote controls and cycling
extreme conditions, neoprene is used to line landfills. chamois. In this market, it sometimes competes with
Neoprene’s burn point is around 260°C (500°F).[9] Neo- LRPu (low-resilience polyurethane), which is a sturdier
prene foam is also used in many applications. Neoprene (more impact-resistant) but less-used material.
foam can be produced in either closed-cell or open-cell
form. The closed-cell form is waterproof, less compress-
ible and more expensive. The open-cell form can be 3.5 Sports
breathable.[10]
In the equestrian world, it is used in cinches, saddle pads,
bareback pads, and many other applications in all disci-
3.2 Civil engineering plines.
It is often used in Airsoft as a protective garment, as it is
Neoprene is used as a load bearing base, usually between thin enough to feel the hit, but thick enough to spread out
two prefabricated reinforced concrete elements or steel or absorb significant impact energy, thus avoiding break-
plates as well to evenly guide tension from one element to age of the skin by the pellet.
another.
Training knives and swords are made of Neoprene for
safe self-defense instructions, practice, sparring, and
martial arts demonstrations.
3.3 Aquatics
Used in powerlifting and Olympic lifting. Commonly
Neoprene is commonly used as a material for fly fishing used are rehband 7mm knee and elbow sleeves. Also they
waders, as it provides excellent insulation against cold. are acceptable support in most powerlifting or strongman
Neoprene waders are usually about 5 mm thick, and in federations.
the medium price range as compared to cheaper mate- Used in Cycling cold and wet conditions. Notable com-
rials such as nylon and rubber. However, neoprene is panies/garments include Rapha Cycling neoprene gloves,
less expensive than breathable fabrics. A foamed neo- and Castelli Cycling neoprene gloves and booties (shoe
prene containing gas cells is used as an insulation mate- covers).
rial, most notably in wetsuits. Foamed neoprene is also
used in other insulation and shock-protection (packing)
applications. In its native state, neoprene is a very pliable 3.6 Music
rubber-like material, with no better insulating properties
than rubber or other solid plastics. For diving and ex- Musical instrument maker Yamaha uses neoprene. Neo-
posure protection applications, neoprene is manufactured prene is also used for drum practice pads.
by foaming the plastic with nitrogen gas, for the insulation
properties of the tiny enclosed and separated gas bubbles
(nitrogen is used for chemical convenience, not because it 3.7 Hydroponic gardening
is superior to air as an insulator). The foam cells thus cre-
ated also make the material quite buoyant, and the diver Hydroponic and aerated gardening systems make use of
must compensate for this by wearing weights. Thick wet small neoprene inserts to hold plants in place while prop-
suits made at the extreme end of their cold water pro- agating cuttings, or using net cups. Inserts are relatively
tection are usually made of 7 mm thick neoprene. Since small, ranging in size from 1.5” to 5”. Neoprene is a good
foam neoprene contains gas pockets, the material com- choice for supporting plants because of its flexibility and
presses under water pressure, getting thinner at greater softness, allowing plants to be held securely in place with-
depths; a 7 mm neoprene wet suit offers much less expo- out the chance of causing damage to the stem. Neoprene

A woman wearing neoprene leggings
root covers also help block out light from entering the
rooting chamber of hydroponic systems, allowing for bet-
ter root growth and to help deter the growth of algae.
3.8 Other
Neoprene is used for Halloween masks and masks used
for face protection, for insulating CPU sockets, to make
waterproof automotive seat covers, in liquid and sheet-
applied elastomeric roof membranes or flashings, and in a
neoprene-spandex mixture for manufacture of wheelchair
positioning harnesses. Because of its chemical resistance
and overall durability, neoprene is sometimes used in the
manufacture of dishwashing gloves, especially as an al-
ternative to latex. In fashion, neoprene has been used by
designers such as Gareth Pugh, Balenciaga, Rick Owens,
Lanvin and Vera Wang.
4 Precautions
Some people are allergic to neoprene while others can
get dermatitis from thiourea residues left from its produc- [12] http://www.fluidproducts.com/PDFs/
tion. The most common accelerator in the vulcanization
3
of polychloroprene is ethylene thiourea (ETU), which has
been classified as reprotoxic. The European rubber in-
dustry project called SafeRubber focuses on alternatives
to the use of ETU.[11]
Neoprene degrades in the presence of some fairly com-
mon chemicals, including hydrochloric acid, acetone,
xylene, acetic acid, aqua regia, boric acid, liquid butane,
hydrogen peroxide, iodine, kerosine, lacquer, lard, motor
oil, nitric acid, palm oil, tallow, turpentine, urine,
and most chlorine-based chemicals including household
bleach.[12]
5 See also
• Isoprene
6 References
[1] Werner Obrecht, Jean-Pierre Lambert, Michael Happ,
Christiane Oppenheimer-Stix, John Dunn and Ralf
Krüger “Rubber, 4. Emulsion Rubbers” in Ullmann’s En-
cyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry, 2012, Wiley-VCH,
Weinheim. doi:10.1002/14356007.o23_o01
[2] “Technical information — Neoprene” (PDF). Du Pont
Performance Elastomers. October 2003.
[3] Furman E. Glenn. “Chloroprene Polymers”. En-
cyclopedia Of Polymer Science and Technology.
doi:10.1002/0471440264.pst053.
[4] John K. Smith. The Ten-Year Invention: Neoprene and
Du Pont Research, 1930–1939. Technology and Culture
26(1):34-55 January 1985
[5] “Neoprene : 1930 - Overview”. DuPont Heritage.
DuPont. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
[6] Hounshell, David A.; Smith, John Kenly (1988). Science
and Corporate Strategy : Du Pont R&D, 1902-1980 (Repr.
ed.). Cambridge [Cambridgeshire]: Cambridge Univer-
sity Press. pp. 253–257. ISBN 0-521-32767-9.
[7] “Neoprene : 1930 - In Depth”. DuPont Heritage. DuPont.
Retrieved 29 March 2011.
[8] “Neoprene - polychloroprene”. DuPont Elastomers. Re-
trieved 2008-04-09.
[9] http://msds.dupont.com/msds/pdfs/EN/PEN_
09004a35803d9eb8.pdf
[10] “Closed Cell v Open Cell”. Retrieved 2014-01-14.
[11] http://www.saferubber.eu
ChemicalResistance.pdf#page=8&zoom=auto,0,317
4 7 EXTERNAL LINKS

7 External links
• Historical Files on Neoprene are available at Hagley
Museum and Library
 5

8 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

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