Nitrile rubber, also known as NBR, Buna-N, and acrylonitrile butadiene rubber, is a synthetic rubber copolymer of acrylonitrile (ACN) and butadiene.
Although its physical and chemical properties vary depending on the polymer’s composition of nitrile, this particular type of synthetic rubber is unusual in being generally resistant to oil, fuel, and other chemicals. So, the more nitrile within the polymer, the higher the resistance to oils but the lower the flexibility of the material.
Nitrile is the most widely used elastomer in the seal industry today. It is used in the automotive and aeronautical industry to make fuel and oil handling hoses, seals, grommets, and self-sealing fuel tanks, since ordinary rubbers cannot be used. Nitrile butadiene is also used to create moulded goods, footwear, adhesives, sealants, sponges, expanded foams, and floor mats. The uses of nitrile rubber include disposable non-latex gloves, automotive transmission belts, hoses, O-rings, gaskets, oil seals, V belts, static & dynamic hydraulic seals, synthetic leather, printer’s form rollers, and as cable jacketing; NBR latex can also be used in the preparation of adhesives and as a pigment binder.
