MOLECULAR COMPOSITES OF FUNCTIONAL SILICA AND NATURAL RUBBER

Briefly described, and according to one embodiment, aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to natural rubber and functional silica compositions for tire manufacturing and methods for forming the same. In at least one embodiment, the disclosed composition is a renewable elastomeric polymeric composition for rubber compounding applications, such as low rolling resistance tire tread and winter tire tread applications. The disclosed composition may also reduce fuel consumption and, thus, carbon dioxide emissions in gas-powered vehicles, and increase driving range in electric vehicles, because the disclosed composition is more energy efficient than current tire material compositions. In various embodiments, the disclosed composition may be formed by blending water-soluble silsesquioxane oligomers into a natural rubber latex system, followed by in-situ formation of a continuous, molecular silica network within the resulting polymer.