Bromobutyl rubber is an isobutylene copolymer with trace amounts of brominated isoprene that provides unsaturated vulcanization sites. Many of the properties of butyl rubber are present in this elastomer, including low gas and moisture permeability, good vibration damping, a low glass transition temperature, great resilience to ageing and weathering, and a wide range of vulcanization variability. The addition of bromine improves adhesion to other rubbers and metals and results in substantially faster cure rates (i.e. lower amounts of curative are required).
Bromobutyl rubber is created in two steps by reacting bromine with a hexane solution of butyl rubber. The first stage involves the polymerization of isobutylene and isoprene to make butyl rubber. Bromination is used in the second phase to create bromobutyl rubber. Polymerization is accomplished through a series of complicated cationic processes.
1. Industrial : hoses, seals, membranes, tank linings, special-purpose conveyor belts, engine mounts, protective clothing.
2. Automotives : trucks as well as industrial and agricultural tires.
