Recent progress of elastomer–silica nanocomposites toward green tires: simulation and experiment

Abstract The concern regarding increasing oil consumption that originates from the high rolling resistance of automobiles has led to the development of green tires. The key enabling technique for preparing green tires involves the utilization of elastomer–silica nanocomposites. Elastomer–silica nanocomposites usually show low rolling resistance because of the intrinsic lubrication characteristics of siloxane and the excellent elastomer‐modified silica interfacial interaction, making them ideal raw materials for a green tire. It is supposed that the comprehensive properties of rolling resistance can be further improved via continually optimizing the microstructures of elastomer–silica nanocomposites. Regulating silica dispersion, understanding the interface between elastomer and silica and building the quantitative correlation between the microstructure and the static/dynamic macro‐mechanical properties are crucial in designing high‐performance elastomer–silica nanocomposites. This review aims to summarize the recent progress of elastomer–silica nanocomposites from the point of view of silica dispersion, the elastomer–silica interface and the microstructure–mechanical connection, combining simulation and actual experimental findings. A short conclusion and an outlook on the current limitations and possible future research directions for constructing high‐performance elastomer–silica nanocomposites for low‐energy green tires are also presented. © 2022 Society of Industrial Chemistry.