Preparation of epoxidized Eucommia ulmoides gum and its application in styrene‐butadiene rubber (SBR)/silica composites

In this article, we primarily introduced a method to prepare epoxidized Eucommia ulmoides gum (EEUG) and studied its application as interfacial additive in styrene‐butadiene rubber (SBR)/silica composites. We prepared the EEUG from the Eucommia gum extract solution using E. ulmoides leaves pretreated with enzymatic solutions as the raw material, petroleum ether as the solvent, and peracetic acid (CH₃COOOH) as the oxidant under a certain temperature. Accordingly, we focused on studying the effects of a series of factors, such as the mole ratio (γ) of peracetic acid to double bonds of Eucommia gum and reaction time on the epoxidation degree and crystallization degree of Eucommia gum in the epoxidation process, in order to control the properties of the EEUG. Regarding the study of the application of EEUG in SBR/silica composites, we found that the addition of EEUG greatly promoted the properties of SBR/silica composites by improving the dispersion of silica in SBR composites, which possessed excellent mechanical properties, including higher tensile strength, tear strength, 100 and 300% modulus, wear resistance, and low heat buildup. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.