China has a small number of liquid polybutadiene production companies and a high degree of dependence on foreign countries.

Liquid polybutadiene, also known as low molecular polybutadiene, is a low molecular weight polybutadiene and is a liquid rubber without functional groups, referred to as LPB. Liquid polybutadiene rubber is a polymer with functional groups at the end of its molecular chain and is liquid at room temperature. Its synthesis methods can be divided into three types: free radical polymerization, anionic polymerization and polybutadiene degradation.

According to the released “2023-2028 China Liquid Polybutadiene Industry Market In-depth Research and Development Prospects Forecast Report”, according to micro Structural classification, liquid polybutadiene can be divided into 1,4-polybutadiene (cis and trans isomers) and 1,2-polybutadiene, 1,2-polybutadiene according to the vinyl group The content can be divided into medium vinyl liquid polybutadiene and high vinyl liquid polybutadiene. According to the number of terminal hydroxyl groups, liquid polybutadiene can be divided into monofunctional, bifunctional and multifunctional liquid polybutadiene. Among them, bifunctional liquid polybutadiene is the most widely used.

Liquid polybutadiene has a very low dielectric constant, very good water and oil resistance, flexibility and machining properties. It has a wide range of uses in coatings, inks, surfactants and rubber modifiers. In the field of coatings, liquid polybutadiene can be used as raw material to produce water-based coatings, which are very environmentally friendly and show good adhesion on various substrates, including steel and synthetic fiber fabrics. In the field of rubber, liquid polybutadiene, as a new plasticizer, is not only green and environmentally friendly, but can also improve the processing properties of plastics and, to a certain extent, the physical and mechanical properties of products, so it has attracted the attention of researchers. In recent years, domestic research on liquid polybutadiene has mainly focused on its application in the field of rubber preparation. In addition, with good water resistance, electrical insulation properties and low-cost temperature stability, liquid polybutadiene can also be used in electrodeposition coatings, electrical potting and encapsulation, sealing and bonding compounds, copper-clad laminates, flexographic printing plates, carbon fiber, etc. field. However, there are very few domestic achievements in research and development of liquid polybutadiene production technology, which has also led to very weak domestic liquid polybutadiene production capacity. For a long time, my country’s liquid polybutadiene products have relied on imports, mainly imported Brands include Germany’s Evonik, Japan’s Soda, etc.

On June 11, 2023, Tianyuan Aviation Materials (Yingkou) Polymer Materials Technology Co., Ltd. announced the construction project of a liquid rubber production R&D base. According to the announcement, after the project reaches production, Tianyuan Aviation Materials (Yingkou) Polymer Materials Technology Co., Ltd. will A production base with an annual output of 4,000 tons of hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene liquid rubber (hydroxybutadiene rubber) was built. After this production capacity is put into operation, it may improve China’s external dependence on liquid polybutadiene to a certain extent.

Industrial analysts said that liquid polybutadiene has excellent performance, high environmental protection and great application value, and is needed by domestic enterprises and research institutions. Strengthen the technological development of liquid polybutadiene products and realize independent supply as soon as possible.