Which monomers are used to make nitrile rubber?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Know how researchers created a synthetic material, elastomers, that can change color and texture to specific voltage change, like that of cephalopods — elastomer Learn about elastomers that are changeable in colour and texture, much like the skin of octopuses and other cephalopods. In the elastomers, these changes take place under electrical stimulation.

Nitrile rubber (NBR) is produced from a copolymer of two specific monomers: acrylonitrile and butadiene.12

During the production process, these two monomers are emulsified in water and linked into large molecules through polymerization using free-radical initiators. The final properties of the rubber, such as its strength and oil resistance, are determined by the ratio of these monomers, with acrylonitrile typically comprising between 15 and 50 percent of the copolymer.13