Editing Disulfide (section)

==Applications==
Aside from the major role in biology, disulfides are found in rubber that has been vulcanized with sulfur. The [[vulcanization]] of [[Natural rubber|rubber]] results in crosslinking groups which consist of disulfide (and polysulfide) bonds; in analogy to the role of disulfides in proteins, the S−S linkages in rubber strongly affect the stability and [[rheology]] of the material.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Akiba |first1=M. |last2=Hashim |first2=A.S. |date=1997 |title=Vulcanization and crosslinking in elastomers |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0079670096000159 |journal=[[Progress in Polymer Science]] |volume=22 |issue=3 |pages=475–521 |doi=10.1016/S0079-6700(96)00015-9 |via=[[Elsevier Science Direct]]}}</ref> Although the exact mechanism underlying the vulcanization process is not entirely understood (as multiple reaction pathways are present but the predominant one is unknown), it has been extensively shown that the extent to which the process is allowed to proceed determines the physical properties of the resulting rubber—namely, a greater degree of crosslinking corresponds to a stronger and more rigid material.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last1=Mutlu |first1=Hatice |last2=Theato |first2=Patrick |date=2020 |title=Making the Best of Polymers with Sulfur–Nitrogen Bonds: From Sources to Innovative Materials |journal=[[Macromolecular Rapid Communications]] |volume=41 |issue=13 |pages=2000181 |doi=10.1002/marc.202000181 |pmid=32462759 |s2cid=218975603|doi-access=free }}</ref> The current conventional methods of rubber manufacturing are typically irreversible, as the unregulated reaction mechanisms can result in complex networks of sulfide linkages; as such, rubber is considered to be a [[Thermosetting polymer|thermoset]] material.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last1=Bin Rusayyis |first1=Mohammed |last2=Torkelson |first2=John |date=2021 |title=Reprocessable covalent adaptable networks with excellent elevated-temperature creep resistance: facilitation by dynamic, dissociative bis(hindered amino) disulfide bonds |url=https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2021/PY/D1PY00187F |journal=[[Polymer Chemistry (journal)|Polymer Chemistry]] |volume=12 |issue=18 |pages=2760–2771 |doi=10.1039/D1PY00187F |s2cid=234925061}}</ref>