Reinforcing Performance of Silane-Modified Recycled Nanosilica within Sustainable, Non-black-filled Styrene–Butadiene Rubber Nanocomposites

Abstract

Upcycling is a pioneering step towards a less-polluted planet. Accordingly, a recycled nanosilica (GNSi) was exploited to replace health-hazardous carbon black (CB)─a primary component of tires worldwide─and fabricate green styrene–butadiene rubber (SBR) nanocomposites to employ in the tire manufacturing industry with comparable or even better technical properties to that of CB-containing ones. Two fresh, commercially available nanosilica, 1F and 2F, were also used for comparison. To study the silica characteristics and the behavior they brought about inside SBR matrixes, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, mechanical and rheological vulcanization testing, and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis methods were applied. The findings revealed that there was almost no noticeable performance gap between the nanocomposite loaded with 20 parts per hundred rubbers (phr) of CB and the one with the exact content of GNSi modified with bis(triethoxysilylpropyl)tetrasulfide. Utilizing GNSi, not only does the vehicle consume less fossil fuel but it also eliminates a solid waste disposal source that poses a risk to the environment. The observed enhancements, such as modulus by 15% and tear strength by 30% in the nanocomposite with 20 phr of GNSi than the one with the same concentration of 1F, indicate GNSi a more successful rubber strengthening nanomaterial than 1F. Incorporating GNSi also enhanced the technical properties more noticeably than 2F. Therefore, GNSi is offered as an appropriate, feasible additive for SBR, contributing to the development of green tires.