Sustainable materials for tyres. 1. Natural rubber compounds with better mechanical properties thanks to functionalized nanosized graphite

This work was aimed at promoting better mechanical properties for NR - based compounds by using a carbon nanofiller, a high surface area nanosized graphite (HSAG) in particular. Nanocomposites were prepared with NR and HSAG where HSAG was either pristine or functionalized with a bio based janus molecule, 2-(2,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrrol-1-yl)-1,3-propanediol (SP), commonly named serinol pyrrole (HSAG-SP). Pristine HSAG nanocomposites were prepared through melt blending while those containing HSAG-SP were prepared through latex blending. Three levels of filler, 5.2, 15 and 24 phr, were used.