Butadiene rubber (BR) is a synthetic rubber made by polymerizing 1,3-butadiene.

Chemically, it’s a polybutadiene, and its properties depend heavily on how that polymerization is done. BR is especially valuable where rubber sees repeated deformation and wear.

• Excellent abrasion resistance

• Very low glass-transition temperature (Tg ≈ −90 to −100 °C)

• Outstanding fatigue and crack-growth resistance

• Low heat buildup

• Good resilience (low hysteresis)

Key properties of butadiene rubber (BR)

• Excellent abrasion resistance

• Outstanding fatigue resistance: very slow crack growth under cyclic loading

• Low heat buildup, great for dynamic applications

• Excellent low-temperature flexibility: stays elastic well below −50 °C

• High resilience and low hysteresis → energy-efficient performance

Key Limitations

• Poor oil and fuel resistance

• Poor ozone and weathering resistance

• Low green strength

• Difficult processing on its own

• Poor tear strength (especially unfilled)

Different microstructures available

BR properties depend strongly on cis/trans/vinyl content, which is controlled by the catalyst system.

High cis-1,4 BR (most common)

• ~95–98% cis

• Best abrasion, resilience, and fatigue

• Used in tires

Low cis / high trans BR

• Higher stiffness

• Poorer dynamic properties

• Limited specialty use

High vinyl BR

• Higher Tg

• Better wet traction

• More hysteresis

• Used in performance tire treads

Typical applications

Tires

• Tread compounds (blended with NR and SBR)

• Sidewalls

• Inner structures

Industrial rubber

• Conveyor belts

• Hoses (non-oil)

• Vibration mounts

• Shoe soles

• Golf balls (core)

BR is almost always blended

BR brings wear + fatigue resistance, but lacks:

• Green strength (NR fixes this)

• Wet traction (SBR helps)

• Processability (NR/SBR help)

Therefore typical blends:

• NR/BR → abrasion + strength

• SBR/BR → abrasion + wet grip

• NR/SBR/BR → balanced tire tread