Cellulose nanocrystal functionalized aramid nanofiber reinforced rubber compounds for tire tread application

Various filler materials have been used to reinforce rubber compounds for tire tread; however, it remains challenging to improve overall tire performance without resulting in trade-offs. In this work, cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are modified using thionyl chloride, and then bonded to aramid nanofibers (ANFs) through chemical covalent interactions to form novel hybrid fillers. The hybrid fillers are functionalized using a silane coupling agent before incorporating them into rubber compounds, replacing from 0.3 to 3 parts of carbon black. The functionalized ANF/CNC (fAC) reinforced rubber compounds are tested and found to exhibit enhanced mechanical properties and crosslink density compared to reference samples. Moreover, the abrasion resistance and fuel-saving efficiency of fAC reinforced compounds are found to improve by 15.0% and 23.8%, respectively, without compromising wet skid resistance performance. Therefore, this study demonstrates the effect of CNC functionalized ANF fillers on the mechanical properties and overall performance requirements of rubber compounds for tire tread applications.

Automated summary

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are modified and bonded to aramid nanofibers (ANFs) to form hybrid fillers, which are then functionalized using a silane coupling agent and incorporated into rubber compounds. The functionalized ANF/CNC (fAC) reinforced rubber compounds show improved mechanical properties, crosslink density, abrasion resistance, and fuel-saving efficiency without compromising wet skid resistance performance.