CROSSLINKING OF SBR COMPOUNDS FOR TIRE TREAD USING BENZOCYCLOBUTENE CHEMISTRY

Abstract

ABSTRACT This research investigates the potential of benzocyclobutene (BCB) chemistry for crosslinking styrene-butadiene rubber in conjunction with sulfur curatives with the objective of achieving curing at lower temperatures and/or in shorter times compared with entirely sulfur-based cure formulations. The reversible polysulfidic linkages produced in sulfur crosslinking allow self-healing characteristics but suffer from poor heat-aging stability. The C–C crosslinks from BCB chemistry are irreversible and offer higher resistance to aging, but they do not present apparent self-healing properties. The hybrid curative package based on C–C, C–S, and S–S linkages developed is expected to provide reduced crosslinking time and/or temperature, along with higher crack-growth resistance, the ability to self-heal, higher resistance to fatigue-to-failure, reduced hysteresis, and increased abrasion resistance. The crosslinking performance of 1-substituted BCB-based compounds in conjunction with sulfur is specifically investigated.