SBIR Phase I: Molecular Composites of Functional Silica Networks within Natural Rubber Compounds for Green Tires

SBIR 第一阶段：用于绿色轮胎的天然橡胶化合物中功能性二氧化硅网络的分子复合材料

• 批准号: 1938221
• 负责人: Charles Rosenmayer
• 金额: $ 22.5万
• 依托单位: SILPARA TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-02-01 至 2021-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1938221&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; Molecular; Composites; Functional

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to enable the further development of sustainable mobility by developing a new, disruptive class of renewable materials for low-rolling resistance tire tread rubber compound applications. The company will be active not only in materials development and sales, but also in the exploration of new and valuable application areas for energy-efficient renewable materials. The initial target application area is the material used in low-rolling resistance tread compounds for tires currently using petroleum-derived materials, a $5 B market.This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will be directed to the technical feasibility of a critical enabling technology supporting the use of renewable elastomers in low-rolling resistance tire applications. Specifically, the innovation will focus on latex-phase nano-scale reinforcement of natural rubber using novel functional silica-based materials. The technical hurdles include translation of the technology from spin-coating of polytetrafluoroethylene nanoemulsion thin films to bulk solids formation from a natural rubber latex. These are significant challenges because the formation mechanisms, required functional groups, and end-use performance requirements are significantly different. Specific challenges include creation of novel functional silica-based materials; uniform dispersion of the materials in a natural rubber (NR) latex; interactions between the material and the phospholipid of the NR latex particle surface; the chemistry and concentration of the functionalization; characterization of the resulting composite polymer and its microstructure; and adaptation and processing of the innovative polymer into a vulcanized rubber tire tread compound with the desired properties.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是，通过开发用于低滚动阻力轮胎胎面胶胶料应用的新型颠覆性可再生材料，进一步促进可持续机动性的发展。该公司不仅将积极从事材料的开发和销售，而且还将积极探索节能可再生材料的新的、有价值的应用领域。最初的目标应用领域是用于目前使用石油衍生材料的轮胎低滚动阻力胎面胶的材料，这是一个50亿美元的市场。这个小企业创新研究第一阶段项目将针对支持在低滚动阻力轮胎应用中使用可再生弹性体的关键使能技术的技术可行性。具体地说，这项创新将专注于使用新型功能硅基材料对天然橡胶进行胶乳相纳米级增强。技术障碍包括将旋涂聚四氟乙烯纳米乳液薄膜的技术转化为由天然橡胶胶乳形成大量固体的技术。这些都是巨大的挑战，因为形成机制、所需的官能团和最终用户的性能要求明显不同。具体挑战包括：新型功能性二氧化硅材料的创建；材料在天然橡胶(NR)胶乳中的均匀分散；材料与天然橡胶(NR)胶乳颗粒表面磷脂的相互作用；官能化的化学和浓度；合成的复合聚合物及其微观结构的表征；以及将创新聚合物改造和加工成具有所需性能的硫化橡胶轮胎胎面胶。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。