Degussa: Further Development of Silica-Silane Technology
For many decades now, carbon blacks, which are customized industrial blacks, have been the secret stars of tire production. They allow desired new properties to be generated within the bounds of the "magic triangle" of (wet) grip, abrasion resistance, and rolling resistance. The early 1990s saw the advent of a new component heralding the progression of silica. With the help of organosilanes (bifunctional organic silicon compounds) it became possible to chemically "couple" rubber and silica, and a new star was born: silica-silane technology, also known as "green tire" technology. Today, nearly all car tires in Europe are equipped with treads consisting of such materials. These tires save on gas, are as durable as the older versions, and have significantly better grip, particularly in wet conditions. A disadvantage here is that the use of triethoxysilanes in the tire manufacturing process produces volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are environmentally harmful.
But there's help at hand, in the form of an organosilane that allows novel reinforcing fillers to couple more effectively in rubber compounds. This rubber silane has been developed by Degussa. It carries the name VP Si 363, and is a logical successor to a classic of silica-silane technology, the organosilane once marketed - also by Degussa - as Si 69®. According to the company, using VP Si 363 reduces VOC emissions by more than 80 percent during the manufacturing process, so costly waste gas treatment is no longer necessary. This not only saves costs for tire producers but also allows them to satisfy the stricter ecological and economic requirements.
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