Hydrophobized MFC as Reinforcing Additive in Industrial Silica/SBR Tire Tread Compound

Abstract

Silica is used as reinforcing filler in the tire industry. Owing to the intensive process of silica production and its high density, substitution with lightweight bio-based micro fibrillated cellulose (MFC) is expected to provide lightweight, sustainable, and highly reinforced tire composite. MFC was modified with oleoyl chloride, and the degree of substitution (DS) was maintained between 0.2 and 0.9. Subsequently, the morphology and crystallinity of the modified MFC were studied and found to be significantly dependent on the DS. The advantages associated with the use of the modified MFC in synergy with silica for the reinforcement of styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) nanocomposite was investigated in comparison with silica/SBR compound. The structural changes occasioned by the DS values influenced the processability, curing kinetics, modulus-rolling resistance tradeoff, and tensile properties of the resultant rubber compounds. We found that the compound made with modified MFC at a DS of 0.67 (MFC16) resulted to the highest reinforcement, with a 350% increase in storage modulus, 180% increase in Young`s modulus, and 15% increase in tensile strength compared to the referenced silica-filled compounds. Our studies show that MFC in combination with silica can be used to reinforce SBR compound for tire tread applications.

Advances in Functional Rubber and Elastomer Composites

“…Fasolt et al [ 14 ] found that electrodes impact the breakdown voltage in dielectric elastomer actuators, which can be improved using stiffer, silicone rubber-based electrodes. Furthermore, Liu et al [ 15 ] used hydrophobized, bio-based, microfibrillated cellulose as a reinforcing filler in silica/styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) tire tread compounds, observing a notable increase in mechanical properties compared to the sole use of silica/SBR compounds. Meanwhile, Wang et al [ 16 ] enhanced the mechanical, dielectric, and hydrophobic properties of commonly used Methyl Vinyl Silicone Rubber by blending it with Fluorosilicone Rubber.…”

Tire tread rubber compound with high wet skid resistance and low rolling resistance

“…High‐performance tires, which are crucial for the operation and advancement of modern industry and society, are a strategic material with a vital role in various applications 3,4 . In recent years, silica has increasingly replaced carbon black as the primary filler for high‐performance tires, resulting in improved anti‐skid performance and reduced rolling resistance of the tires 5–8 . However, the presence of a substantial number of polar silica hydroxyl groups on the surface of the silica leads to strong filler–filler interactions through hydrogen bonding between silanol groups, causing easy agglomeration 9–12 .…”

“…3,4 In recent years, silica has increasingly replaced carbon black as the primary filler for highperformance tires, resulting in improved anti-skid performance and reduced rolling resistance of the tires. [5][6][7][8] However, the presence of a substantial number of polar silica hydroxyl groups on the surface of the silica leads to…”