Rubber compositions with dissagregated carbon nanotubes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021061973-A1
Application number	US-201916961596-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 14, 2019
Priority date	Jan 12, 2018
Publication date	Mar 4, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

Described are articles including treads and/or other tire components that are formed at least in part by rubber compositions having solid agglomerated material comprising disaggregated carbon nanotubes. Such rubber compositions include a diene rubber component and a solid agglomerated material comprising disaggregated carbon nanotubes that consist of a continuous network of carbon nanotubes that contains 1) voids and 2) aggregates of carbon nanotubes having a mean size d 50 of less than 5 μm, the voids and the aggregates together in an amount that is less than 60% of a predetermined surface area, as determined by electron microscopy imagery analysis, the remainder being the disaggregated carbon nanotubes in the continuous network that do not comprise a clearly defined shape.

First claim

1 . A rubber composition based upon a cross-linkable rubber composition, the cross-linkable rubber composition comprising, in parts per 100 parts by weight of rubber:
a diene rubber; a solid agglomerated material comprising disaggregated carbon nanotubes consisting of a continuous network of carbon nanotubes, the continuous network comprising 1) voids and 2) aggregates of carbon nanotubes having a d 50 mean size of less than 5 μm, the voids and the aggregates together being in an amount that is less than 60% of a predetermined surface area, such percentage as determined by electron microscopy imagery analysis, the remainder being the disaggregated carbon nanotubes in the continuous network that do not comprise a clearly defined shape and being in an amount that is at least 40% of the predetermined surface area, wherein the disaggregated carbon nanotubes of the continuous network are oxidized; a cure system.

2 . The rubber composition of claim 1 , wherein the cross-linkable rubber composition comprises between 1 phr and 75 phr of the solid agglomerated material.

3 . The rubber composition of claim 1 , wherein the diene rubber is a highly unsaturated rubber selected from natural rubber, a synthetic rubber or combinations thereof.

4 . The rubber composition of claim 1 , wherein the amount of the voids and the aggregates is less than 40% and the remainder is at least 60%.

5 . The rubber composition of claim 1 , wherein the amount of the voids and the aggregates is less than 10% and the remainder is at least 90%.

6 . The rubber composition of claim 1 , wherein the solid agglomerated material is devoid of organic compounds, as determined by thermogravimetric analysis.

7 . The rubber composition of claim 1 , wherein the solid agglomerated material is of a form that is spheres, cylinders, flakes, granules, bricks or combinations thereof, wherein a smallest diameter of the form is greater than 1 mm.

8 . The rubber composition of claim 1 , wherein the disaggregated carbon nanotubes of the continuous network are multi-walled.

9 . (canceled)

10 . The rubber composition of claim 1 , wherein the cross-linkable rubber composition comprises no more than 10 phr of a secondary reinforcement filler.

11 . The rubber composition of claim 10 , wherein the secondary reinforcement filler is selected from a silica, a carbon black or combinations thereof.

12 . The rubber composition of claim 11 , wherein the secondary reinforcement filler is the carbon black.

13 . The rubber composition of claim 1 , wherein the diene rubber is selected from selected from the group consisting of a polyisoprene rubber (IR), a styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), a polybutadiene rubber (BR) and combinations thereof.

14 . A tire comprising a tire component manufactured from the rubber composition of claim 1 .

15 . The tire of claim 14 , wherein the tire component is a tire tread.

16 . A rubber composition based upon a cross-linkable rubber composition, the cross-linkable rubber composition comprising, in parts per 100 parts by weight of rubber:
a diene rubber; a solid agglomerated material comprising oxidized disaggregated carbon nanotubes consisting of a continuous network of carbon nanotubes, the continuous network comprising 1) voids and 2) aggregates of carbon nanotubes having a d 50 mean size of less than 5 μm, the voids and the aggregates together being in an amount that is less than 40% of a predetermined surface area, such percentage as determined by electron microscopy imagery analysis, the remainder being the disaggregated carbon nanotubes in the continuous network that do not comprise a clearly defined shape and being in an amount that is at least 60% of the predetermined surface area; a cure system.

17 . The rubber composition of claim 16 , wherein the cross-linkable rubber composition comprises between 1 phr and 75 phr of the solid agglomerated material.

18 . The rubber composition of claim 17 , wherein the diene rubber is a highly unsaturated rubber selected from natural rubber, a synthetic rubber or combinations thereof.

19 . The rubber composition of claim 18 , wherein the amount of the voids and the aggregates is less than 10% and the remainder is at least 90%.

20 . The rubber composition of 19 , wherein the disaggregated carbon nanotubes of the continuous network are multi-walled.

21 . The rubber composition of 20 , wherein the cross-linkable rubber composition comprises no more than 10 phr of a secondary reinforcement filler.

Assignees

• Michelin & Cie

Inventors

• Pappas Christopher
• Chouvel Christophe

Classifications

• C08L2205/02

  containing two or more polymers of the same C08L -group · CPC title

• C08L7/00

  Compositions of natural rubber · CPC title

• C08K2201/003

  Additives being defined by their diameter · CPC title

• C08F236/06

  Butadiene · CPC title

• C08F236/08

  Isoprene · CPC title