Resumen de Green tyres could offer road to growth for neodymium demand
The neodymium polybutadiene rubber (Nd-PBR) can be used to make vehicle tyres, which manufacturers say are "greener" than conventional rubber tyres in that they are more durable and improve fuel efficiency.
Lanxess' Buna Nd EZ range of materials are a new generation of high-cis polybutadiene rubbers exhibiting a modified polymeric structure compared to the company's standard Nd-PBR products.
'Cis' refers to a mode of polymerisation - the others being 'trans' and 'vinyl' - in the synthetic rubber making process, whereby butadiene molecules join end-to-end in so-called 1,4 polymerisation.
