Diene-unsaturated nitrile rubber

Chemistry of NBR. Nitrile rubbers are copolymers of a diene and a vinyl-unsaturated nitrile. The chemical structure of NBR is given in Fig. 5. 

Several polymers based on 1,3-dienes are used as elastomers. These include styrene-1,3-butadiene (SBR), styrene-1,3-butadiene terpolymer with an unsaturated carboxylic acid (carboxylated SBR), acrylonitrile-1,3-butadiene (NBR or nitrile rubber) (Secs. 6-8a, 6-8e), isobutylene-isoprene (butyl rubber) (Sec. 5-2i-l), and block copolymers of isoprene or... 

The most widely used elastomers are natural rubber [17], synthetic polyisoprene and butadiene rubbers, styrene-butadiene copolymers, ethylene-propylene rubber (specifically EPDM), butyl and halobutyl elastomers, polyurethanes, polysiloxanes, polychloroprenes, nitrile rubber, polyacrylic rubbers, fluorocarbon elastomers, and thermoplastic elastomers [18-20]. The examples which have unsaturation present in the repeat units (such as, the diene elastomers) have the advantage of easy cross-linkability, but the disadvantage of increased vulnerability to attack by reactants, such as oxygen and ozone. 

Nitrile rubbers are broadly defined as copolymers of a diene and a vinyl unsaturated nitrile. This chapter will focus primarily on emulsion-polymerized copolymers of 1,3-butadiene and acrylonitrile, which represent the bulk of the commercially available nitrile elastomers. Commercial nitrile rubbers contain between 15 and 50% acrylonitrile, and have the following general structure ... 

The hydrogenation of unsaturated polymers and copolymers in the presence of a catalyst offers a potentially useful method for improving and optimizing the mechanical and chemical resistance properties of diene type polymers and copolymers. Several studies have been published describing results of physical and chemical testing of saturated diene polymers such as polybutadiene and nitrile-butadiene rubber (1-5). These reports indicate that one of the ways to overcome the weaknesses of diene polymers, especially nitrile-butadiene rubber vulcanizate, is by the hydrogenation of carbon-carbon double bonds without the transformation of other functional unsaturation such as nitrile or styrene. 

The inhibitors act as ligands, blocking the hydrosilylation reaction by coordination to the metal center, but vmder conditions employed for cure, they release the active catalyst. The numerous vmsaturated organic compounds, such as esters, alcohols, ketones, sulfoxides, phosphines, phosphites, nitriles, azodicarbonyl compounds, triazoline, dienes, amine N-oxides, hydroperoxides, and others, are known and have been reported as platinum catalyst inhibitors during the cure of silicon rubber through addition processes (3,4). The unsaturated diesters (e.g., maleates and fumarates) are the most important and commonly used platinum inhibitors in industrial curing processes and have been described in many articles and patents. 

The natural rubber does not generally exhibit all the desired properties for use in the rubber industry. Thus, it is possible to obtain better mechanical and physical properties at a lower cost by blending natural rubber with synthetic rubbers. Normally, natural rubber is deteriorated by ozone and thermal attacks due to its highly unsaturated backbone, and it also shows low oil and chemical resistances due to its non-polarity. However, these properties can be achieved by blending it with low unsaturated ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber, styrene butadiene rubber, carboxylate styrene butadiene rubber, nitrile butadiene rubber, chloroprene rubber, chlorosulfonated polyethylene rubber, and acrylonitrile butadiene rubber. 

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