silica-silane-systems // DIK

Call for industrial partners: Multi client project

Introduction and intention:

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The reinforcement of elastomers by silica/silane systems has been a central focus in the rubber industry over the past decades. This domain has proven to be very relevant due to the advantages of silica technology. Silica/silane systems improve wet traction properties, reduce heat buildup, and lower rolling resistance. These benefits have significant impacts on the tire and related industries. Notably, the reduced rolling resistance of tires contributes to lower CO2 emissions by decreasing fuel consumption.

Though much research has been conducted to study and improve the properties of silica/silane-filled compounds, a full understanding of the silica/silane system, especially the reinforcement mechanism, is yet to be achieved. Studying the reinforcing network structure generated by different silanes in the silica/silane system could provide more insights since this structure is a key parameter influencing the physical, mechanical, and dynamic properties of elastomers filled with silica/silane systems. The reaction between silane and silica is well-documented and can often be controlled by analyzing ethanol content. However, the reaction of sulfur in the presence of different sulfur-containing silane systems, which generates polymer-polymer crosslinks or polymer-silane-silica bonds, is less understood. Traditional methods, such as the thiol amine method used to determine crosslink structures, are not effective, especially in L-SBR systems. Therefore, there is high interest in learning more about crosslinking reactions in the presence of silanes and understanding the influence of different silane systems on network structure. There is a gap in the use of common analytical methods for network characterization.

Objectives:

This research aims to study the reinforcing sulfur network structure in silica/silane systems. Understanding this structure is essential for describing the observed macroscale properties of elastomers generated using different silica/silane systems. The objectives are as follows:

• Elucidate the mechanism of the polymer-silane coupling reaction by varying the vulcanization systems, the types of silane, and the type of rubber (NR, IR, SBRs).
• Study the relationship between the morphology of the reinforcing sulfur network structure generated by different accelerator-sulfur-silane-silica systems and the physical, mechanical, dynamic properties of these elastomers.

Procedure and methods

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To achieve these objectives, isoprene rubber, SBR, analytically accessible low molecular model substances, and different silica fillers will be used in this study. The silane coupling agents to be investigated include Si-(OCH2CH3)3-CH3, Si-(OCH2CH3)3-(CH2)3-SH, Si-(OCH2CH3)3-(CH2)3-S-S-(CH2)3-Si-(OCH2CH3), and Si-(OCH2CH3)3-(CH2)3-S-S-S-S-(CH2)3-Si-(OCH2CH3) (others are possible, to be agreed). The vulcanization system, sulfur/accelerator concentration and ratio, and silica/silane concentrations will be varied.

For the analytical techniques, 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance (t2 and delta-shifts), liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS), gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS), magnetic spectroscopy (x-ray linear dichroism-XLD), the thiol amine method, equilibrium swelling, TSSR, and/or dynamic flocculation model will be applied. The thiol amine method must be validated or optimized for use in silica/silane–SBR systems, as it is typically published for NR systems without fillers.

Conditions
The project will be organized as a multi-client project, sharing the costs among the participants. The work will be carried out by a PhD student at DIK with support from a technician under the supervision of Prof. Dr. U. Giese.

Duration: 18 months

Costs: 120,000 EUR shared by the project partners.

Carbon black was the dominant reinforcing filler for tire compounds for almost a century. The substitution of carbon black by the Silica/Silane system in tread compounds, combined with a specific polymer blend, provides significant improvements in rolling resistance and wet traction. Hence, compared to carbon black-filled tread compounds, reduced fuel consumption and improved driving safety can be achieved.

Today, most OE passenger car tires from European production are equipped with highly dispersible (HD) silica and bifunctional rubber silanes.

If you want to learn more, please visit our website silica silane.