Performance enhancement of bio‐based rubber composites using epoxidized natural rubber for silica without carbon emissions and volatile organic compounds

Abstract

Tire development tendency is green, environment-friendly, and safeguarding life and health. The conventional tires, consisting of solution polymerized styrene-butadiene rubbers (SSBR), silica, silane coupling agents, and other rubber additives, will not be able to keep up with the demand. SSBR, as a synthetic rubber processed from nonrenewable petroleum resources, creates a large amount of carbon emissions in the production process and the reaction between silica and silane coupling agents generates a large amount of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which is detrimental to the environment and human health. In this article, epoxidized natural rubber (ENR) with different epoxide degrees was successfully prepared and blended with natural rubber (NR)/silica composites to improve the dispersion of silica and the performance of nanocomposites. The effect of heat treatment temperature on the reaction between ENR and silica and the dynamic and static mechanical properties of ENR/NR/silica nanocomposites was investigated by mechanical properties test, transmission electron microscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared. The results showed that the epoxy groups on the ENR molecular chain could react with the silanol on the surface of silica to form a strong chemical bond, which improved the dispersion of silica in the rubber matrix and further enhanced the performance of the rubber composites without carbon emission and VOCs.

Sustainable natural rubber composites: masterbatch development of epoxidized natural rubber grafted to designed enzymatic polysaccharides

“…Based on the atomic composition in the individual samples in Table 1, an increase in the O/C ratios for all masterbatch samples indicates the presence of more oxygen-containing groups associated with glucan in the ENR–glucan composites compared to the neat ENR. 30,42 For instance, in the case of ENR–glucan masterbatch without a catalyst, an O/C ratio of 20% was noted due to the high oxygen content of glucan and feasible hydrogen bonds which is in agreement with the FTIR results.…”

“…[22][23][24] Additionally, the oxygenous groups of ENR make it more polar than NR, allowing it to be more compatible with polar fillers, such as glucan. For instance, the improved compatibility of ENR with polar fillers including cellulose nanocrystals, [25][26][27][28] lignin, 29 silica, 21,30 clay, 31 starch, 32 and chitosan 33 to fabricate ENR composites is reported. In this study, a high temperature and shear-mediated reaction of the oxirane group of ENR with the electronegative hydroxyl groups of glucans via a ringopening reaction to form covalent grafts is investigated.…”

Green and Catalyst-Free Cross-Linking of Bio-Based Elastomers toward Robust, Reprocessable Abilities and Improved Thermal Aging Resistance Enabled by β-Hydroxyl Esters

“…Due to the introduction of epoxide groups onto the rubber chains, ENR exhibits good oil resistance, low gas permeability, and improved wet grip and rolling resistance. − Meanwhile, ENR retains most of the advantages of NR, especially strain-induced crystallization (SIC) . What is more, the existence of epoxide groups can endow ENR with high reactivity and improved compatibility with silica. , Recently, ENR has been exploited in a broad range of applications, such as in tread rubber of tires, dampers, compatibilizers, and so forth. − Therefore, the renewable ENR is considered a promising platform to design and fabricate sustainable and high-performance rubber materials.…”