According ton the company, these microgels, which consist of nanoscale organic particles, can be used to improve the material properties of elastomer and thermoplastic materials. After close cooperation between the company’s Rhein Chemie unit and Toyo Tire & Rubber Co., the first series application of the rubber additive is in a line of winter tyres which boast “excellent dry and wet road grip, without the tyre rubber hardening on contact with snow or ice.”
Lanxess’s Technical Rubber Products and Rhein Chemie business units worked together on the development of the additive and are said to have applied for numerous patents. These cover the processing method, the use of nanoparticles in rubber mixtures and the impact on thermoplastic and thermoset polymers. Technical Rubber Products is to markets these nanoscale particles under the registered trademark Nanoprene, while Rhein Chemie Rheinau GmbH sells the additive under the brand name Micromorph.
According to the company, different Nanoprene grades can be used to satisfy different requirement profiles for tyres (e.g. summer and winter tyres) and various tyre components (tread, side wall, carcass, etc.) in line with their glass transition temperature. And what’s more, using the new nanoparticles as an additive can reportedly improve wet grip, rolling resistance and tyre life – without compromising on any one of the characteristics.
Tests conducted by Lanxess show that using Nanoprene in summer tyres improves dry road grip by between 10% and 15%. Adding Nanoprene is also said to improve the stiffness of the tread blocks, which has a positive impact on the cornering properties under aquaplaning conditions. The abrasion resistance of tyre treads containing Nanoprene is also much higher than those based on standard silica mixtures. The test results show that Nanoprene increases the service life of tyres significantly.
Despite particle sizes ranging between 40 and 200 nanometres, Nanoprene has “a large specific surface area,” which is said to lead to improved distribution and joining of the silica filler to the polymer matrix. (Tyres & Accessories/Staffordshire, U.K.)
