High-performance and Energy-saving Tire Tread Rubber Achieved Through Synergistic Charge Regulation and Flexible Bridging Interface
Abstract
The automotive tire industry faces mounting environmental challenges as a significant contributor to global energy consumption and emissions. Addressing this requires high-performance eco-friendly tire materials, where uniform nanofiller dispersion and robust rubber-filler interfaces remain critical hurdles. This study developed a dual-enhancement strategy through charge regulation and flexible interfacial bridging to fabricate advanced natural rubber (NR) composites. Positively charged graphene oxide (PGO) was synthesized via electrostatic self-assembly using biocompatible polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride (PDDA) as an interfacial modifier. The NR/PGO composites were subsequently prepared through aqueous-phase co-precipitation and hot-press vulcanization. Electrostatic attraction between cationic PGO and anionic NR latex enabled exceptional filler dispersion without density-driven stratification. Simultaneously, non-polar PDDA chains formed flexible bridges with NR molecules, synergistically strengthening interfacial interactions. This dual mechanism yielded NR/PGO composites with significantly enhanced properties showed a 14.0% increase in tensile strength to 30.1 MPa and an 19.0% increase in tear strength to 63.9 N/mm compared to NR/GO. Compression fatigue heat buildup decreased by 17.5%, while wear resistance improved by 14.4%. Solid tires fabricated from these composites exhibited 7.3% lower dynamic temperature rise and 13.0% reduced rolling resistance. This work establishes a novel pathway for engineering sustainable, high-performance tire materials.