Styrene-butadiene rubber synthesized by anionic polymerization

In this paper we report on the copolymerization of styrene with butadiene in cyclohexane as solvent. Some experiments were also done using toluene as a solvent in order to check the influence of this solvent on the polydispersity index of the copolymers obtained, n- Butyllithium (BuLi) was used as initiator, while methyl-tert-butyl ether (MTBE) was used as an active center modifier. Reaction parameters such as polymerization temperature, the [MTBE]/[BuLi] molar ratio and the nature of solvent were studied in relation to their effects on the copolymerization rate, the randomness of the polymer and the microstructure of the butadiene units incorporated.