Poly(styrene-r-butadiene)-b-poly(poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate) as a silica dispersant in rubber compounds

• Published in: Polymer international Vol. 63; no. 5; pp. 908 - 914
• Main Authors: Lee, Jong-yeop, Lee, Taeheon, Kim, Kihyun, Kim, Byunghee, Kwag, Gwanghoon, Kim, Jae-yun, Ji, Sangchul, Kim, Wonho, Paik, Hyun-jong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chichester, UK John Wiley & Sons, Ltd 01.05.2014; Wiley; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Applied sciences; atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP); Composites; Copolymerization; Dispersants; Dispersions; Ethers; Exact sciences and technology; Forms of application and semi-finished materials; Glycols; living anionic polymerization (LAP); Organic polymers; PEGMA; Physicochemistry of polymers; Polymer industry, paints, wood; Polymerization; Polystyrene resins; Preparation, kinetics, thermodynamics, mechanism and catalysts; Rubber; silica dispersion; Silicon dioxide; site transformation; styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR); Technology of polymers; PEGMA; Butadiene copolymer; Graft copolymer; Molecular structure; Crosslink density; Atom transfer polymerization; atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP); Dispersant; Dispersion reinforced material; Silica; Diene copolymer; Vulcanizate; Cyclic ether copolymer; Diene polymer; SBR; silica dispersion; Living polymer; Dispersing power; Ethylene oxide copolymer; Experimental study; living anionic polymerization (LAP); styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR); Tyre; Vulcanization; Random copolymer; Initiator polymer; Cyclic ether polymer; site transformation; Morphology; Preparation; Methacrylate copolymer; Tread; Styrene copolymer
• ISSN: 0959-8103; 1097-0126
• DOI: 10.1002/pi.4644

The site transformation of living anionic polymerization to atom transfer radical polymerization yielded poly(styrene‐r‐butadiene)‐b‐poly(poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate) which effectively improved the dispersion of silica in styrene‐butadiene rubber (SBR)/silica compounds. To improve the dispersion of silica in silica‐filled styrene–butadiene rubber tire tread compounds, we synthesized poly(styrene‐r‐butadiene)‐b‐poly(poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate) (p(SB‐b‐PEGMA)) as a silica dispersant. p(SB‐b‐PEGMA) was synthesized by combining living anionic polymerization (LAP) and atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). Initially, α‐bromoisobutyryl‐terminated poly(styrene‐r‐butadiene) (pSB‐Br) was prepared by LAP of styrene and butadiene and sequential additions of ethylene oxide and α‐bromoisobutyryl bromide. pSB‐Br was then used as the macroinitiator in the ATRP of PEGMA (Mn = 300 g mol−1). The structure of p(SB‐b‐PEGMA) was characterized using gel permeation chromatography and 1H NMR spectroscopy. The application of p(SB‐b‐PEGMA) as a silica dispersant in styrene–butadiene rubber/silica decreased the optimal vulcanization time and improved the mechanical properties, which included 100% and 300% moduli, crosslinking density and silica dispersion. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry