Enhanced comprehensive performance of SSBR/BR with self-assembly reduced graphene oxide/silica nanocomposites

The dispersion of filler and properties of elastomer composites are always the focus in the rubber researching. In this work, RGO/SiO2 nanocomposites were obtained by self-assembling of silica nanoparticles (SiO2) and reduced graphene oxide (RGO), which were used to manufacture RGO/SiO2-SSBR/BR composites by means of compounding with solution-polymerized styrene butadiene rubber/butadiene rubber (SSBR/BR). The structure and morphology characterization showed that SiO2 nanoparticles were homogeneously distributed on RGO. With the adding of RGO, the mechanical properties were enhanced and the RGO/SiO2-SSBR/BR with 1% weight percentage of RGO possessed the optimal wet skid resistance and rolling resistance compared with commercialized Zeosil 1165 MP highly-dispersed nano-SiO2 (Zeosil 1165 MP)-SSBR/BR (tan δ is 16.8% higher at 0 °C and 50.0% lower at 60 °C). In addition, the heat build-up exhibited considerable decrease with low RGO weight percentage, and wear resistance considerably enhanced. The reinforced integrated performances provide a potential application of RGO/SiO2 for green tires.