18th International Science and Technology Conference ELASTOMERS 2019
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Rafał Anyszka*1,2), Maja Szczechowicz2), Dariusz M. Bielinski2), Anke Blume1)
1)University of Twente, Faculty of Engineering Technology, Department of Mechanics of Solids, Surfaces & Systems (MS3), Chair of
Elastomer Technology & Engineering, Enschede, The Netherlands
2)Lodz University of Technology, Faculty of Chemistry, Institute of Polymer and Dye Technology, Lodz, Poland
*email: r.p.anyszka@utwente.nl; rafal.anyszka@p.lodz.pl
Nature-inspired Velcro compatibilization system for silica/rubber coupling
Nowadays the state of the art of silica/rubber coupling bases on silanes that form covalent bonds between a hydrophilic silica surface and a hydrophobic rubber. The main core of a research in this field focuses on improving the effectiveness of silica/rubber coupling by developing new types of silanes of different reactivity [1]. However, all the newly developed silanes are designed to form a covalent bond with rubber macromolecules, which if broken cannot be re-formed.
The aim of this work is to develop an alternative silica/rubber coupling system inspired by Velcro (hooks-and-loops) connections, which will be able to re-create the filler/elastomer interphase after breakage or disturbance caused by dynamic deformation. In order to achieve this, long hydrophobic oligomer chains were grafted on the silica surface (supramolecular hooks) to interact with cross-linked elastomer macromolecules (supramolecular loops). The coupling effect bases on a good chemical compatibility of the oligomer chains and elastomer macromolecules and the resulting formation of physical entanglements between both. If the silica/rubber interphase is dis-attached by dynamic deformation the mobile oligomer chains (hooks) are able to penetrate again into the rubber matrix and re-form a new entanglement.
In this work four types of different oligomer chains were grafted on a silica surface. The modified and reference silicas were incorporated into a SBR/BR typical tire tread compound. Visco-elastic properties of the resulting green compounds and mechanical and dynamic performance of the vulcanizates were tested with respect to the silica/rubber interactions. The newly developed Velcro-inspired coupling system shows the high potential to be a prospective alternative for the classic solutions based on covalent bonds formation.
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