Synthesis, Chemical Modifications and Applications of Hydroxyl-Terminated Polybutadiene

Hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) is a low molecular-weight telechelic liquid rubber. Because of its various advantages, such as low glass transition temperature, good transparency, low viscosity, hard volatilization, oil resistance, good processability, HTPB has a wide range of applications in military and civilian fields. The properties of HTPB are mainly influenced by its chain microstructure. The different synthetic methods produce HTPB with different microstructure, which will result in the large difference in the properties. In addition, the chemical modifications of C=C double bonds in the main chain and hydroxyl groups in the chain ends lead to the formation of telechelic polymers with different molecular structure and various functional groups. After modifications, the different properties are endowed to HTPB and the application fields are also expanded. In this review, the research progress about the synthesis, chemical modifications and applications of HTPB is discussed in detail.