Nitrile, also known as Buna-N or NBR (nitrile-butadiene rubber) is a type of synthetic rubber polymer. It’s a copolymer made up of a combination of acrylonitrile and butadiene molecules. Nitrile rubber is popular in applications requiring oil resistance, performance under extreme temperatures, and personal protection. Its hot oil resistance makes it a common material in the automotive industry, useful for gaskets, oil seals, o-rings, engine hoses, and other parts. It’s also used to make the rolls in the printing industry that spread inks.

In aerospace, nitrile is useful for its working temperature range, finding its way into self-sealing fuel tanks and bladders. It’s also used in textiles to waterproof fabric and improve the finish. Perhaps its best known use is in nitrile safety gloves, thanks to its toughness and hypoallergenic qualities. Nitrile gloves can range from heavy-duty gloves in nuclear applications to the thinner disposable gloves seen in medical, laboratory, and cleaning and examination applications.

However, nitrile can also be found in footwear, floor mats, sponges, and a host of molded goods.