College of Materials Engineering, University of Babylon discussed a higher diploma research on the activation of tire rubber crumbs by zinc oxide Nano-particles to improve the performance of rubber compounds by the postgraduate student, Mrs. Tabarak Alaa Abd Al-Kadhim.

The research aimed at studying the use of rubber compounds as antibacterial, especially in medical applications that these compounds are in a liquid state or what is called foam, which facilitates the process of adding antibacterial materials to it and facilitating the migration of particles of antibacterial materials to the surface.

The research reviewed that materials were added that help increase the movement of the polymeric chains without significantly affecting the mechanical specifications, which enhances the role of rubber compounds in the solid state in resisting the growth of bacteria.

The research demonstrated that when using tire crumb rubber in natural rubber / styrene-butadiene rubber (NR / SBR) as a filler, it helps to increase the decomposition of rubber compounds with an increase in its wettability by reducing the angle of contact with water then adding carbon black (HAF) tire crumbs and different particle sizes of zinc oxide (ZnO) to produce antibacterial handles for a patient's wheelchair or wheelchair.