Structure and Performance of Silica-Grafted Epoxidized Solution-Polymerized Styrene–Butadiene Nanocomposites

Abstract

In the present paper, epoxidized solution-polymerized styrene–butadiene (ESSBR) is successfully synthesized through an epoxidation reaction with hydrogen peroxide and formic acid aiming to improve the performance of silica/SSBR nanocomposites without a silane coupling agent (SCA). A safer and milder reaction condition of H2O2/C = C/HCOOH (0.36/2/0.6) is obtained. The silica/ESSBR nanocomposites are prepared by grafting silica nanoparticles on the ESSBR matrix, and the influence of various epoxidation degrees on the structure and performance is investigated. The silica/ESSBR with epoxidation degree 13.8% (silica/ESSBR13.8) shows excellent comprehensive performance on account of the potent interfacial interaction and a uniform dispersion of silica nanoparticles. Compared with the silica/SSBR nanocomposite using Si69 as the SCA (silica/SSBR-Si69), silica/ESSBR13.8 enhances the modulus at 300% strain by 46.8%, reinforcing index by 29.1%, wet-skid resistance by 80.8%, and abrasion resistance by 32.8%. The silica/ESSBR nanocomposites are environmentally friendly and have potential applications in green tires.

Designing a Coupling Agent with Aliphatic Polyether Chain and Exploring Its Effect on Silica/Natural Rubber Nanocomposites under the Action of Non-Rubber Contents

“…Due to its insufficient tear and tensile strength, silica/BR/SSBR nanocomposites can only be used as the tread of a “green tire” for passenger vehicles [ 11 , 12 ]. However, in the field of engineering vehicles and trucks, natural rubber (NR) nanocomposites are still irreplaceable, and the demand to reduce rolling resistance to save the fuel consumption is also urgent the for tires used in these fields.…”

Microstructure and Performance of Green Tire Tread Based on Epoxidized Solution Polymerized Styrene Butadiene Rubber and Epoxidized Natural Rubber

“…The surface of silica consists of a large amount of polar silanol groups, so the high surface energy and strong filler–filler interaction lead to easy aggregation of silica nanoparticles, and the weak filler–rubber interaction results in poor compatibility between SSBR and silica. − Therefore, improving the dispersion of silica in a nonpolar matrix is necessary to obtain the high-performance silica/SSBR nanocomposites.…”

Dual-Silane Premodified Silica Nanoparticles─Synthesis and Interplay between Chemical, Mechanical, and Curing Properties of Silica–Rubber Nanocomposites: Application to Tire Tread Compounds

“… 1 , 2 Other works investigated the use of nonsilane coupling agents. 3 , 4 Beyond silica and carbon black, innovative alternative fillers such as silicon particle and graphene oxide are developed. 5 With the growing need to find sustainable filler materials, research in the fillers domain becomes driven by the challenging task to make new fillers cope with previous technology performance levels.…”

“…Since then, researchers have been working on these two filler properties and investigating various strategies to improve performances, using new materials and processes. The in situ growth of silica particles has proven to be an efficient way to achieve a very high dispersion of such particles into the matrix. , Other works investigated the use of nonsilane coupling agents. , Beyond silica and carbon black, innovative alternative fillers such as silicon particle and graphene oxide are developed . With the growing need to find sustainable filler materials, research in the fillers domain becomes driven by the challenging task to make new fillers cope with previous technology performance levels .…”