The antioxidant design in the tire industry can be regarded as a precise dance of materials science. In tread rubber, antioxidants need to work synergistically with reinforcing agents and vulcanization systems to prevent rubber hardening caused by thermal oxidative aging, while also avoiding excessive protection that affects the moderate viscosity required for grip. The latest development of "time release" antioxidants uses microcapsule technology to release different components at different stages of tire use, providing strong protection in the early stages and focusing on maintaining flexibility in the later stages.
The antioxidant challenge of special rubber is even more severe. Fluororubber needs to resist the erosion of aviation fuel, silicone rubber must maintain elasticity in extreme temperature differences of -60 ℃ to 250 ℃, and acrylic rubber must withstand chemical reactions of additives in transmission oil. In response to these needs, antioxidants with carefully modified molecular structures have been developed: fluorinated segments enhance compatibility with fluororubber, siloxane segments improve dispersibility in silicone rubber, and polar groups help antioxidants anchor in polar rubber.
Under the trend of green tires, antioxidants also take on an environmental mission. The new plant-based antioxidant is derived from natural raw materials such as cashew shell oil and rosin, which not only reduces the carbon footprint, but also exhibits better antioxidant activity than synthetic analogues due to the natural phenolic hydroxyl groups in its molecular structure. This type of bio based antioxidant reduces greenhouse gas emissions during the production process while maintaining tire performance.
