Overview

Poly(styrene-butadiene-styrene) (pol-ee-STYE-reen-byoo-tah-DYE-een-STYE-reen) is a thermoplastic block copolymer of styrene and butadiene. The compound is often called simply SBS or SBS rubber. A thermoplastic polymer is one that can be converted back and forth between liquid and solid states by alternate heating and cooling. A copolymer is a polymer made from two monomers, in this case, styrene (C₆H₅CH=CH₂) and 1,3-butadiene (CH₂=CHCH=CH₂). The term block copolymer means that one section of the polymer chain consists of polystyrene (-[CH₂CHC₆H₅-]_n to which is connected another section consisting of polybutadiene (-[-CH₂CH=CHCH₂-]_n), which, in turn, is connected to another section of polystyrene (-[CH₂CHC₆H₅-]_n), and so on.

Key Facts

Other Names:

SBS

Formula:

-[CH₂CHC₆H₅-]_n-[-CH₂CH=CHCH₂-]_n-[CH₂CHC₆H₅-]_n...