Synergistically improving mechanical properties and lowering build-up heat in natural rubber tires through nano-zinc oxide on graphene oxide and strong cross-linked interfaces derived from thiol-ene click reaction

Graphene is widely used as an ideal reinforcing filler for rubber, often facing poor dispersion and interfacial interactions. In this work, the modified graphene oxide (GO) enhanced the curing rate and cross-linking density of rubber by loading chemically reduced zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles and undergoing thiol-ene click reaction, which resulted in rubber composites with low heat build-up and excellent mechanical properties. It not only acted as reinforcing particles, but also played the role of activation and vulcanization. The modified GO particles acted as a bridge enabling the formation of strong interfacial interaction between the GO filler and the NR matrix. In addition, the loading of nano-ZnO reduced the use of traditional ZnO, which contributed to the reduction of environmental pollution. What’s more, the prepared solid tires exhibited low rolling resistance and temperature rise. This was important for high performance and long life of the tire. This strategy provides new insights for the preparation of graphene green tires with low energy consumption.