Tire tread rubber compound with high wet skid resistance and low rolling resistance

Abstract The preparation of four types of epoxidized iron‐based comb butadiene‐isoprene rubber (EBIR) with different epoxidation degrees (4.7%, 6.4%, 10.2%, and 12.3%) was investigated for the first time in this study. The modification involved the use of hydrogen peroxide and formic acid as raw materials for the epoxidation process. Following this, silica/EBIR composites were prepared by mixing EBIR with silica nanoparticles, without the use of a silane coupling agent (SCA). The objective was to investigate the influence of the epoxidation degree on the structure and properties of the resulting silica/EBIR nanocomposites. The results indicated that the introduction of epoxy groups had a positive effect on the interfacial interaction between the rubber and filler, leading to improved dispersion of the silica nanoparticles in the rubber matrix. Consequently, the tensile properties, wet skid resistance, and abrasion resistance of the silica/EBIR composites were found to be superior to those of the un‐epoxidized silica/BIR composites. Furthermore, comparing the silica/EBIR‐12.3 nanocomposites with silica/BIR‐Si69 nanocomposites, it was revealed that silica/EBIR‐12.3 showed a 69.4% enhancement in wet skid resistance and an 8.0% reduction in rolling resistance. These findings demonstrate the potential of silica/EBIR composites for high‐performance tire tread rubber applications, offering environmental benefits and improved properties.