Styrene-butadiene-glycidyl methacrylate terpolymer/silica composites: dispersion of silica particles and dynamic mechanical properties

Styrene-butadiene-glycidyl methacrylate terpolymer (GMA-SBR) was synthesized by emulsion polymerization for the fuel efficient tire tread composite. The chemical structure of the GMA-SBR was analyzed using infrared spectroscopy, H-1 NMR, gel permeation chromatography, and differential scanning calorimetry. The GMA-SBR/silica composite is the first instance introduced covalent bonds between silica filler and rubber molecules by in-chain modification of styrene-butadiene molecules. After compounding, the curing characteristics, the mechanical and dynamic mechanical properties of the composites were analyzed. The GMA-SBR/silica composite exhibited higher wear resistance of 32.9% and lower rolling resistance of 25.7% than the styrene-butadiene rubber 1721/silica composite. These results are due to the improvement of silica dispersion in the composite as the covalent bonding increased the filler-rubber interaction and the countervailing effects of less filler flocculation. The proposed approach assists in finding a solution to improve the performances of tires for fuel efficiency and the reduction of greenhouse gases from the vehicles.