Grant: Alliance Grants

Automotive tires are constructed from numerous components, each working in cooperation with the others to maximize overall performance. Two of the most important components are styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) and butyl rubber, which appear in tires as the tread material and gas-impermeable inner lining, respectively. Tire performance is generally described in the tire industry by the 'magic triangle' that includes abrasion resistance (tire wear), rolling resistance (mileage), and traction (safety). Improvements in these areas offer direct benefit to Canadians by limiting the costs associated with the purchase of tires and fuel and tire waste, reducing emissions associated with automotive travel, and reducing the number of fatalities and injuries associated with automotive collisions. This NSERC Alliance project involves a collaboration between Professors Joe B. Gilroy and Paul J. Ragogna at the University of Western Ontario and ARLANXEO, a multinational company that produces both SBR and butyl rubber, with significant operations in Canada. It will create training opportunities for 1 postdoctoral researcher and 2 undergraduate summer researchers. Initial efforts will focus on the development of a method for the introduction of phosphine groups to the polymer backbone of SBR to create a new product known as phosphinated SBR (PSBR). Through collaboration with ARLANXEO, we will determine the optimal phosphorus content of PSBR required to promote interactions between PSBR and fillers used in the tire manufacturing process. We will test PSBR before and after it has been subjected to the manufacturing process and will assess the potential impact of PSBR on the 'magic triangle' of tire performance. As the project proceeds, similar studies for butyl rubber may also be conducted. The development of PSBR has excellent potential to generate economic activity for Canada as the global markets for SBR and butyl rubber are worth more than 4 billion USD annually and ARLANXEO is the largest producer of SBR globally. This economic activity will create jobs and generate wealth for Canadians.