Styrene-butadiene rubber

Description

An elastomer made by copolymerizing butadiene with styrene. Styrene-butadiene rubber is commonly called Buna-S and SBR. Large amounts of the copolymer were first commercially produced in the 1930s as a synthetic replacement for natural rubber. Currently, styrene-butadiene is the most widely used synthetic rubber. SBR has good water and heat resistance but poor oil, solvent, and oxidation resistance. It also has a tendency to crawl. SBR is used for tires, footwear, adhesives, coatings, and carpet backing.

FTIR

Synonyms and Related Terms

butadiene styrene; Buna-S; SBR

Authority

• G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 629

• Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993

• Pam Hatchfield, Pollutants in the Museum Environment, Archetype Press, London, 2002

• M.Kaufman, The First Century of Plastics, The Plastics and Rubber Institute, London, 1963

• Art and Architecture Thesaurus Online, http://www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabulary/aat/, J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles, 2000