Enhanced wear resistance of sustainable tire materials with plasma modified pyrolysis carbon black

In this study, pyrolysis carbon black (CBp) was pre-treated by the combination of air jet milling and Ar plasma technology to obtain the reinforcing filler, MP-CBp. The modification effect was verified by XPS, Raman spectroscopy and TEM images. The increment of introduced activation groups and the augmentation of surface area conferred MP-CBp an impressive reinforcement to natural rubber (NR) matrix. The excellent reinforcement of MP-CBp was attributed to the formation of strong filler network according to the mechanical properties. Besides, the tribological studies conducted under various load conditions revealed that the NR component filled with MP-CBp presented intensively improvement on the ground traction and the wear resistance. The addition of 60 phr MP-CBp intensified 20% dry traction, 33.3% wet traction and decreased 27.7% specific wear rate of NR vulcanizates. This strategy to modify CBp with cleanliness Ar plasma technique provides novel insights into not only the surface treatment of CBp, but also the manufacture of sustainable wear-resistant tire materials, which can tremendously promote the recycled utilization of waste tires.