Designing novel epoxy-terminated polybutadiene to construct chemical interface between nanosilica and rubbers with green nature

Constructing a chemical interface between rubber and silica is necessary for preparing a nanosilica/rubber composite used in tire industry. In our research, epoxy-terminated polybutadiene (ETPB) was designed and synthesised by anionic polymerisation to realize the construction of a chemical interface between nanosilica and diene-rubber without volatile organic compounds emission. We verified that the ETPB had a molecular weight of 438 and a narrow molecular weight distribution . We also used differential scanning calorimetry and thermal gravimetry analyser to confirm that the ETPB could be fully grafted with silica and chemically cross-linked with diene-rubber. Therefore, a chemical interface as a coupling bridge has been formed between the silica and rubber. Dynamic and static mechanical testing demonstrated that the ETPB-modified nanosilica/NR composite had an excellent comprehensive performance, which is quite suitable for green tires.