Nanoparticle Netpoints for Elastomer Nanocomposites with Ultralow Hysteresis Loss Towards Automobile Tire Fuel Economy

To achieve a nanoscopic dispersion of nanoparticles(NPs) together with a tunable inter-particle separation distance of NPs is still a great challenge for the technological application of polymer nanocomposites(PNCs). Herein, through experiment and simulation, firstly we verify that thermoplastic elastomer(TPE) such as styrene-butadiene-styrene and polyurethane elastomers, both exhibit much lower dynamic hysteresis loss (DHL) compared to silica filled natural rubber system conventionally used for automobile tires, attributed to the stable and nanoscopic distribution of nano-domains in the whole matrix formed through self-assembly. Enlightened by this observation, then we put forward a new and achievable approach to design and prepare a nanoparticle chemical network, with the NPs acting as “giant cross-linkers” or netpoints to chemically connect the end-groups of polymer chains to form a network. We find this new network structure indeed possesses excellent static and dynamic mechanical properties, highlighting a ultralow DHL even in comparison with TPE. On the basis of this, we propose three structural characteristics of this prepared nanoparticle netpoints, providing clear scientific guidelines for fabricating the next generation of elastomer nanocomposites(ENCs) utilized for high performance green automobile tires, which will be of paramount significance for cutting fuel consumption in the tire industry. And in the meanwhile, the inter-particle distance between NPs in the polymer matrix can be easily and well regulated by varying the molecular weight of the connected polymer chains. Hence, by employing the large available libraries of various NPs, this work will also offer a versatile framework for creating PNCs with both excellent multi-mechanical(static and dynamic) and multi-functional (magnetic storage and photovoltaic devices) properties.