Interplay of regio-selectively modified dendritic silica particles with styrene-butadiene rubber: The route towards better tires with lower rolling-resistance and higher grip

The current study presents for the very first time to our knowledge the synthesis, characterization, and application of regio-selectively modified dendritic silica particles (RMDS) in tire rubber composites. So far, no study has ever reported mesoporous silica bringing greater mechanical properties than small fractal precipitated silica. With mechanical testing (DMA, tensile strength) and advanced imaging (TEM-EDS, HIM-SIMS, micro-CT), it was demonstrated that dendritic particles enable superior mechanical reinforcement of rubber-based nanocomposites without any drawback as usually reported with fractal fillers. On one side, their modified porous surface mimics the porous aggregates formed by classic fillers, enabling the rubber chains to permeate the pores and closely interact with the particles. On the other side, unlike fractal fillers, RMDS consist of single particles instead of aggregates, and therefore do not suffer as much from the Payne effect and irreversible dislocations under mechanical solicitations. Also, the excellent dispersibility of RMDS allows to combine them with small amount of fractal filler. Dual filler composite shows superior mechanical performances versus materials using one filler family, leading to higher reinforcement, better traction and rolling resistance indicators. The use of porous particles as “unbreakable” fillers for rubber with a small amount of fractal silica as additive fillers paves the way for novel reinforcing dual-filler systems to be used in disruptive tires technology.