Hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene is widely used in industry for both civil and military applications. In munitions, HTPB is mostly used as a binder for heterogenic rocket propellants and as a component of plastic bonded explosives, as well as a phlegmatizer in explosives sensitive to friction and impact. The wide range of HTPB applications results from the good mechanical properties of HTPB-based polyurethanes, in particular at temperatures down to –40 °C. A synthesis method for HTPB, different from the commonly used semi-batch and continuous methods, is presented. The effect of parameters including reaction temperature, 1,3-butadiene pressure and hydrogen peroxide concentration on the properties of the obtained polymer is determined. The synthesis conditions enabling new HTPB species to be obtained, which meet the requirements for binders used in solid rocket propellants, are specified.
Synthesis of HTPB using a semi-batch method
