Vulcanization is a procedure commonly used for products that are rubbery or elastomeric.
The primary substance used for vulcanizing rubber is Sulphur.
After a very large mechanically imposed deformation, these structures forcefully retract to their essentially initial shape.
Vulcanization can be described as a procedure that increases the retractile force and decreases the amount of permanent deformation that remains after the deforming force has been extracted.
Thus, vulcanization increases elasticity while plasticity is reduced. It is normally achieved by the creation of a crosslinked molecular network.