Polybutadiene [butadiene rubber, BR] is a synthetic rubber. It offers high elasticity, high resistance to wear, good strength even without fillers, and excellent abrasion resistance when filled and vulcanized. "Polybutadiene" is a collective name for homopolymers formed from the polymerization of the monomer 1,3-butadiene. The IUPAC refers to polybutadiene as "poly(buta-1,3-diene)". Historically, an early generation of synthetic polybutadiene rubber produced in Germany by Bayer using sodium as a catalyst was known as "Buna rubber". Polybutadiene is typically crosslinked with sulphur, however, it has also been shown that it can be UV cured when bis-benzophenone additives are incorporated into the formulation.[1]
Polybutadiene rubber (BR) accounted for about 28% of total global consumption of synthetic rubbers in 2020, whereas styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) was by far the most important grade (S-SBR 12%, E-SBR 27% of the entire synthetic rubber market). It is mainly used in the manufacture of tires, which consumes about 70% of the production. Another 25% is used as an additive to improve the toughness (impact resistance) of plastics such as polystyrene and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS).[2] Polybutadiene is also used to manufacture golf balls, various elastic objects and to coat or encapsulate electronic assemblies, offering high electrical resistivity.[3]
- ^ Carroll, Gregory T.; Devon Triplett, L.; Moscatelli, Alberto; Koberstein, Jeffrey T.; Turro, Nicholas J. (2011-10-05). "Photogeneration of gelatinous networks from pre-existing polymers". Journal of Applied Polymer Science. 122 (1): 168–174. doi:10.1002/app.34133.
- ^ "Market Study Synthetic Rubber". Ceresana. January 2022.
- ^ Heinz-Dieter Brandt, Wolfgang Nentwig, Nicola Rooney, Ronald T. LaFlair, Ute U. Wolf, John Duffy, Judit E. Puskas, Gabor Kaszas, Mark Drewitt and Stephan Glander in "Rubber, 5. Solution Rubbers" Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry, 2011, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim. doi:10.1002/14356007.o23_o02