Balancing the “magic triangle” performance of tire rubber nanocomposites with novel low VOC silane coupling agents

Nowadays, coupling agents are still the core technology of the “green tire” industry, which not only effectively weaken the silica network but also enhance the interface interaction between silica and rubber matrix. However, the reaction between the traditional silane coupling agents and the silanol groups on silica surface generates a large amount of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which can affect the performance of the rubber composites and pollute the environment. In this paper, a series of novel coupling agents with low VOC emission were synthesized by reacting fatty alcohol polyoxyethylene ethers of different polyether lengths (AEOX) with bis-[γ-(triethoxysilyl) propyl]-tetrasulfide TESPT (Si69). The structure of the novel coupling agent was characterized using FT-IR and ¹H NMR. Meanwhile, it has been proven through FT-IR, XPS, TGA, and GCMS that the novel coupling agent can react with silica and reduce VOC emissions. Then the novel coupling agent was added into the silica/natural rubber (NR) nanocomposite. The test results of rubber composites showed that the addition of novel coupling agent can significantly enhance the dispersion of silica in the rubber matrix and effectively balance the “magic triangle” performance of tire. As a result, the rolling resistance of the silica/NR composites is reduced by 15.8 %, the wet skid resistance is improved by 14.2 %, and the abrasion resistance is improved by 20.3 %.