Novel Design of Eco-Friendly Super Elastomer Materials With Optimized Hard Segments Micro-Structure: Toward Next-Generation High-Performance Tires

Abstract

Recently, sustainable development has become a significant concern globally, and the energy crisis is one of the top priorities. From the perspective of the industrial application of polymeric materials, rubber tires are critically important in our daily lives. However, the energy consumption of tires can reach 6% of the world's total energy consumption per annum. Meanwhile, it is calculated that around 5% of carbon dioxide comes from the emission of tire rolling due to energy consumption. To overcome these severe energy and environmental challenges, designing and developing a high-performance fuel-saving tire is of paramount significance. Herein, a next-generation, eco-friendly super elastomer material based on macromolecular assembly technology has been fabricated. Hydroxyl-terminated solution-polymerized styrene-butadiene rubber (HTSSBR) with high vinyl contents prepared by anionic polymerization is used as flexible soft segments to obtain excellent wet skid resistance. Furthermore, highly symmetrical 1,5-naphthalene diisocyanate (NDI), different proportions of chain extender, and the cross-linking agent with moderate molecular length are selected as rigid hard segments to achieve simultaneous high heat resistance. Through this approach, a homogeneous network supported by uniformly distributed hard segment nanoparticles is formed because soft segments with equal length are chemically end-linked by the hard segments. This super elastomer material exhibits excellent wear resistance and low rolling resistance. More importantly, the wear resistance, rolling resistance, and wet-skid resistance are reduced by 85.4, 42.3, and 20.8%, respectively, compared to the elastomeric material conventionally used for tire. By taking advantage of this excellent comprehensive service performance, the long-standing challenge of the “magic triangle” plaguing the rubber tire industry for almost 100 years is resolved. It is anticipated that this newly designed and fabricated elastomeric material tailored for tires will become the next generation product, which could exhibit high potential for significantly cutting the fuel consumption and reducing the emission of carbon dioxide.

Exploring the Effect of Resins of Different Origin on the Structure, Dynamics and Curing Characteristics of SBR Compounds

“…They serve multiple functions in tire compounds, such as improving adhesion, promoting filler dispersion, and aiding the processability of uncured elastomeric compounds [ 1 , 2 ]. Along with the other ingredients, such as fillers and processing oils, tackifying resins play an important role in the so-called “magic triangle” of tire performance [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ], which refers to the simultaneous optimization of three important tire features: rolling resistance, wet grip, and tread life.…”

Chemically modified soybean oils as plasticizers for silica-filled e-SBR/Br compounds for tire tread applications

“…This eco-friendly approach is justified by improvements in the key properties of the tire treads and in fuel economy. 1 Various researches have been aimed at improving green tire performance in consideration of the required compromise among rolling resistance, wet traction, and abrasive wear resistance. [2][3][4][5][6] Green tire tread formulations for passenger vehicles are typically based on styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) blended with high-cis poly(butadiene), along with processing oils, fillers (mainly silica), crosslinking agents, and additives.…”