Styrene-butadiene-rubber. physical properties

Another widely used copolymer is high impact polystyrene (PS-HI), which is formed by grafting polystyrene to polybutadiene. Again, if styrene and butadiene are randomly copolymerized, the resulting material is an elastomer called styrene-butadiene-rubber (SBR). Another classic example of copolymerization is the terpolymer acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS). Polymer blends belong to another family of polymeric materials which are made by mixing or blending two or more polymers to enhance the physical properties of each individual component. Common polymer blends include PP-PC, PVC-ABS, PE-PTFE and PC-ABS. 

Mixing process Technical rubbers are blends of up to about 30 different compounds like natural rubber, styrene-butadiene rubber, silicate and carbon-black fillers, and mobile components like oils and waxes. These components show a large variety of physical, chemical, and NMR properties. Improper mixing leads to inhomogeneties in the final product with corresponding variations in mechanical and thermal properties (cf. Figure 7.4). 

High cis- 1,4-poly butadiene is manufactured on a large industrial scale and occupies a well-defined position in the elastomers market. It is employed mainly in the tyre industry, where it is blended with natural rubber and/or with styrene-butadiene rubber and applied in either sidewalls, threads or rims of tyres. It should be noted in this connection that natural rubber, in contrast to its synthetic counterpart, displays some physical properties that appear to be useful in the manufacture of tyres for heavy-duty machines. The fact is that some non-hydrocarbon substances appearing in natural rubber in small amounts (such as polypeptides) protect the high-dimensional tyre formed against collapsing prior to the vulcanisation process and thus enable a high-quality product to be obtained. 

Manshaie, R., Khorasani, S. N., Veshare, S. J., Abadchi, M. R., Effect of electron beam irradiation on the properties of natural rubber (NR)/styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) blend. Radiation Physics and Chemistry 2011,80(1), 100-106. 

Malas, A., Pal, P., Das, Ch.K. Effect of expanded graphite and modified graphite Hakes on the physical and thramo-mecharucal properties of styrene butadiene rubber/polybutadiene rubber (SBR/BR) blends. Mater. Des. 55, 664—673 (2014)... 

The fluorinated rubbers are exceptionally good for high-temperature service, but they are below silicones in this respect. They resist most of the lubricants, fuels, and hydraulic fluids encountered in aircraft a wide variety of chemicals, especially the corrosive variety and also most chlorinated solvents. They have good physical properties, somewhere near those of styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) at the higher hardness levels. FKM is valnable in automotive use for its extreme heat and oil resistance and is on a much higher level in this respect than the acrylic elastomers. It has weathering properties snperior to those of neoprene. However, fluoroelastomers are relatively expensive. 

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. 

In advanced approach, the CNT is incorporated to a 50 50 blend of styrene-butadiene rubber and butadiene rubber solution (Das et al. 2008 Mari and Schaller 2009 Yu et al. 2011). The predispersed CNTs in ethanol is formed and after that the CNT-alcohol suspension is mixed with the polybutadiene at elevated temperature. CNTs-fifled polybutadiene nanocomposites prepared by a technique which show meaiungfully improved physical behavior already at very low concentrations of the CNTs (Mari and Schaller 2009). The particular high ratio of the CNTs enabled the formation of a conductive percolating network in the composites at concentrations lower than 2 wt%. By the presence of CNTs, as opposed to the electrical conduction properties, the thermal conductivity of the composites not... 

Compared to the vast literature on most of the thermoplastic or thermosetting polymer-clay nanocomposites, reports of rubber-clay nanocomposites are much more limited. Much more research is needed to understand the complex nature of these nanocomposites and to identify the factors that have the most significant influence on their physical, mechanical, thermal, barrier, and dynamic mechanical properties. The several examples of rubber-clay nanocomposite that have been covered in this chapter indicate that to date rubber nanocomposite research has largely concentrated on the natural rubber, ethylene propylene diene rubber, styrene-butadiene rubber, and nitrile rubbers. The main factors found to influence final properties were type of clay and its treatment, clay... 

Addition of curing agent DL-268 to a natural rubber styrene butadiene rubber blend was investigated. Reversion and thermooxidatively aged physical properties... 

A very special type of ABA block copolymer where A is a thermoplastic (e.g., styrene) and B an elastomer (e.g., butadiene) can have properties at ambient temperatures, such as a crosslinked rubber. Domain formations (which serves as a physical crosslinking and reinforcement sites) impart valuable features to block copolymers. They are thermoplastic, can be eaisly molded, and are soluble in common solvents. A domain structure can be shown as in Fig. 2. 

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. 

Most polystyrene products are not homopolystyrene since the latter is relatively brittle with low impact and solvent resistance (Secs. 3-14b, 6-la). Various combinations of copolymerization and blending are used to improve the properties of polystyrene [Moore, 1989]. Copolymerization of styrene with 1,3-butadiene imparts sufficient flexibility to yield elastomeric products [styrene-1,3-butadiene rubbers (SBR)]. Most SBR rubbers (trade names Buna, GR-S, Philprene) are about 25% styrene-75% 1,3-butadiene copolymer produced by emulsion polymerization some are produced by anionic polymerization. About 2 billion pounds per year are produced in the United States. SBR is similar to natural rubber in tensile strength, has somewhat better ozone resistance and weatherability but has poorer resilience and greater heat buildup. SBR can be blended with oil (referred to as oil-extended SBR) to lower raw material costs without excessive loss of physical properties. SBR is also blended with other polymers to combine properties. The major use for SBR is in tires. Other uses include belting, hose, molded and extruded goods, flooring, shoe soles, coated fabrics, and electrical insulation. 

More than 800 million pounds of EPM and EPDM polymers were produced in the United States in 2001. Their volume ranks these materials fourth behind styrene-1,3-butadiene copolymers, poly( 1,4-butadiene), and butyl rubber as synthetic rubbers. EPM and EPDM polymers have good chemical resistance, especially toward ozone. They are very cost-effective products since physical properties are retained when blended with large amounts of fillers and oil. Applications include automobile radiator hose, weather stripping, and roofing membrane. 

The hydrogenation of the centre block of SBS copolymer produced oxidation stable thermoplastic elastomer. This product was commercialized by the Shell Development Company under the trade name of Kraton G. The field of thermoplastic elastomers based on styrene, 1-3-butadiene or isoprene has expanded so much in the last 10 years that the synthetic rubber chemist produced more of these polymers than the market could handle. However, the anionically prepared thermoplastic system is still the leader in this field, since it produced the best TPR s with the best physical properties. These TPR s can accommodate more filler, which reduces the cost. For example, the SBS Kraton type copolymer varies the monomer of the middle block to produce polyisoprene at various combinations, then, followed... 

The polymers described above have been chemically pure, although physically helerodisperse. It is oflen possible lo combine two or more of these monomers in the same molecule to form a copolymer. This process produces still further modification of molecular properties and, in turn, modification of the physical properties of file product. Many commercial polymers are copolymers because of the blending of properties achieved in this way. For example, one of the important new polymers of the past ten years has been the family of copolymers of acrylonitrile, butadiene and styrene, commonly called ABS resins. The production of these materials has grown rapidly in a short period of time because of their combination of dimensional stability and high impact resistance. These properties are related to the impact resistance of acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber and the dimensional stability of polystyrene, which are joined in the same molecule. 

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