I'm looking for the longest lasting speargun bands. They come in a variety of colors so I'm wondering if a certain color of rubber would help them last longer. They will be exposed to a lot of sunlight and saltwater. I think it's the UV exposure that causes the most damage. The rubber eventually starts cracking and gets weak. I know black and dark blue absorb the most light, so will a white-colored rubber last longer?
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Welcome to Physics.SE.
This is not an easy question because while considering damage to an object, the energy absorbed is just one of many factors (to really answer the question one should know the atomic composition of the material, calculate the normal oscillation modes and their frequency, search for extinction rules and so on and so forth).
By making it simple, though, more energy absorbed causes more damage, so you're looking for reflective materials to reduce damage (and thus lighter colors).
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1$\begingroup$ Were talking natural latex rubber. Doesn't black pigment convert light energy to heat though? $\endgroup$ Commented Jun 6, 2021 at 16:50
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$\begingroup$ Is that's true: "Generally speaking, in terms of colour alone, blue is the most UV resistant - hence why a photograph left in sunlight fades to a cyan blue image over time"? src: forums.ybw.com/index.php?threads/… $\endgroup$– JinSnowCommented Jun 15, 2022 at 9:32