Highly Aging‐Resistant Polybutadiene Rubber Doped With High‐Loading Antioxidant‐Loaded Titanium Carbide

ABSTRACTThe loading of antioxidants onto inorganic fillers is a vital method for preventing the migration of rubber antioxidants. However, the loading rate is not ideal, which has been a persistent problem for scholars in this field. In this work, the mussel‐based strategy was used to coat titanium carbide (Ti3C2) surfaces with polydopamine (PDA). The amino group on the antioxidant 4‐aminodiphenylamine (RT) is opened with the epoxy group on the silane coupling agent KH560, while the phenol hydroxyl group of PDA condenses with the silanol group on KH560 to prepare titanium carbide‐supported antioxidant molecules (Ti3C2‐RT). The layered Ti3C2 dispersed in the matrix material not only effectively prevents oxygen from entering, but also provides a large specific surface area for the supported antioxidant. At the same time, the introduction of high‐functionality polyamines and silane coupling agents creates conditions for the preparation of inorganic fillers with high loading rates of antioxidants. The loading rate of Ti3C2‐RT was evaluated by TGA, and the mass fraction of antioxidant RT on Ti3C2‐RT was approximately 16.5%, which means that it has the highest loading rate in the field of inorganic fillers loaded with antioxidants. In addition, the mechanical properties of polybutadiene rubber before and after aging were also studied. The test results show that the new antioxidant Ti3C2‐RT has good anti‐aging effect and can effectively prevent antioxidant precipitation. Therefore, compared to organic antioxidants, the supported antioxidant Ti3C2‐RT has a longer ability to scavenge free radicals, resulting in a longer service life of rubber products.