184
9 Reinforcement in the Twenty-First Century
(i.e., IR, a synthetic cis-1,4-polyisoprene) was established, and dependence on IR
continues. The strategic necessity of NR or IR (a substitute of NR for aircraft and
heavy duty car tires) seems to be persisting in many countries, including China and
Russia in particular, even though the EV shift to military automobiles is not yet much
elucidated. Demand of reinforced NR vulcanizates would remain high worldwide
even under the EV shift tendency, we guess.
SD of new reinforcing fillers is of high value, too, in this century. Particularly,
organic fillers are promising for the lower weight of tires and for a design of functional
tires. Among the possibility of organic fillers, it has to mention that design of filler
network structure for rubber reinforcement, as shown in Fig. 5.5, is supposed to
be easier than inorganic fillers from the synthetic organic chemistry point of view.
Lignin is one of the good candidates as described in Chap. 7, especially among
biopolymers. Equally promising is the utilization of soft process in mixing with
rubber (see Fig. 7.3). Traditional mechanical mixing of nanofiller into rubber will
remain to be the main technique, since it takes advantage of rubber being a polymeric
solvent notwithstanding its high viscosity. However, when a soft process for filler
mixing becomes practical, the traditional rubber processing would be modified for
the energy saving, at least partially in order to accommodate it.
Among completely new technics related to rubber, one that possibly develops
into applications by the end of this century is the genome analysis of H. brasiliensis.
The beginning of the genome analyses of Hevea has been already disclosed. But
only recently several reports from a few research groups have been published [88–
91]. These results might suggest a future possibility of the modified genome which
may produce a genetically superior self-reinforcing NR. Together with the future
abundance of NR, reinforcing fillers may become of no use in the next century. In
the synthetic rubber side, the future role may be more dependent on new nanofillers
than in NR.
From the processing point of view, rubber processing is uniquely involving a
chemical reaction, i.e., vulcanization, and hence it is a kind of reactive processing
technics. A series of recent studies on rubber vulcanization are now proposing a novel
reaction mechanism for sulfur/accelerator vulcanization system involving zinc oxide
[9, 92–99]. Depending on the detailed reaction mechanism, rubber processing is
possibly to be modified for rationalization or for the higher efficiency of processing.
In this case, rubber reinforcement would be modified, too, in order to optimize
the reinforcement effect. Such innovations in rubber processing are also the future
assignment for the rubber industry in general.
Sum of the matter of this book on rubber reinforcement is this: The described
prospective views in this chapter on the relevant topics are not much satisfactory,
even if the time range is limited within this century. Primarily, prediction of the future
is not up to science’s alley, or we have to admit that even the historical considerations
on science will not enable us to predict a future science well. In terms of SD thesis,
globalization at present is still at a primitive level: For example, on the voluntarily
imposed restriction values of CO 2 , P, and N for arresting the global warming, only
one-third has managed to control under the restriction among 145 countries [100].
Realizing the status quo has to be the starting point to the prospective thinking for
9 Reinforcement in the Twenty-First Century
(i.e., IR, a synthetic cis-1,4-polyisoprene) was established, and dependence on IR
continues. The strategic necessity of NR or IR (a substitute of NR for aircraft and
heavy duty car tires) seems to be persisting in many countries, including China and
Russia in particular, even though the EV shift to military automobiles is not yet much
elucidated. Demand of reinforced NR vulcanizates would remain high worldwide
even under the EV shift tendency, we guess.
SD of new reinforcing fillers is of high value, too, in this century. Particularly,
organic fillers are promising for the lower weight of tires and for a design of functional
tires. Among the possibility of organic fillers, it has to mention that design of filler
network structure for rubber reinforcement, as shown in Fig. 5.5, is supposed to
be easier than inorganic fillers from the synthetic organic chemistry point of view.
Lignin is one of the good candidates as described in Chap. 7, especially among
biopolymers. Equally promising is the utilization of soft process in mixing with
rubber (see Fig. 7.3). Traditional mechanical mixing of nanofiller into rubber will
remain to be the main technique, since it takes advantage of rubber being a polymeric
solvent notwithstanding its high viscosity. However, when a soft process for filler
mixing becomes practical, the traditional rubber processing would be modified for
the energy saving, at least partially in order to accommodate it.
Among completely new technics related to rubber, one that possibly develops
into applications by the end of this century is the genome analysis of H. brasiliensis.
The beginning of the genome analyses of Hevea has been already disclosed. But
only recently several reports from a few research groups have been published [88–
91]. These results might suggest a future possibility of the modified genome which
may produce a genetically superior self-reinforcing NR. Together with the future
abundance of NR, reinforcing fillers may become of no use in the next century. In
the synthetic rubber side, the future role may be more dependent on new nanofillers
than in NR.
From the processing point of view, rubber processing is uniquely involving a
chemical reaction, i.e., vulcanization, and hence it is a kind of reactive processing
technics. A series of recent studies on rubber vulcanization are now proposing a novel
reaction mechanism for sulfur/accelerator vulcanization system involving zinc oxide
[9, 92–99]. Depending on the detailed reaction mechanism, rubber processing is
possibly to be modified for rationalization or for the higher efficiency of processing.
In this case, rubber reinforcement would be modified, too, in order to optimize
the reinforcement effect. Such innovations in rubber processing are also the future
assignment for the rubber industry in general.
Sum of the matter of this book on rubber reinforcement is this: The described
prospective views in this chapter on the relevant topics are not much satisfactory,
even if the time range is limited within this century. Primarily, prediction of the future
is not up to science’s alley, or we have to admit that even the historical considerations
on science will not enable us to predict a future science well. In terms of SD thesis,
globalization at present is still at a primitive level: For example, on the voluntarily
imposed restriction values of CO 2 , P, and N for arresting the global warming, only
one-third has managed to control under the restriction among 145 countries [100].
Realizing the status quo has to be the starting point to the prospective thinking for