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"Vulcanising" or "Curing"?
The terms curing and vulcanisation essentially describe the same thing - the transformation of the polymer into a cross-linked rubber.
About Rubber
Vulcanisation
In its raw state rubber consists of long randomly linked hydrocarbon chains which can slide past each other. Raw rubber is therefore weak and permanently deformable.
The purpose of vulcanisation is to chemically link the rubber chains together by "cross-linking" to form a three-dimensional network. This improves resilience and elasticity and prevents the rubber from perishing.
The most common vulcanizing agent is sulphur, but peroxide and bisphenol can also be used.
The successful development of vulcanisation is most closely associated with Charles Goodyear during the 1930s.
