Abstract Surface modification of fillers has a profound influence on the dispersion of filler and interfacial adhesion, and thus the final performance of polymer-based composites. In this contribution, the modification of silica by polymethylhydrosiloxane (PMHS) is conducted via an efficient and fast tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane-catalyzed functionalization, which can be completed within a few minutes at room temperature. A highly hydrophobic surface and an uncompromised reactivity are concurrently observed in the modified silica. By comparison between the composites filled with pristine and modified silica, it is revealed that such PMHS modification can not only improve the dispersibility of silica by lowering the surface energy, but also enhance the interfacial interaction in virtue of the reactivity of the residual Si H bonds. With a PMHS grafting content as low as 1.5 wt%, the modified composite exhibits tremendous improvements in mechanical properties (116% increase in modulus) and dynamic performances (116% increase in wet traction and 26% reduction in rolling resistance). Considering the superior overall performance of the modified composites, together with the simplicity and rapidity of the modification process, we envision that the hydrosilane-modified silica has great potential in the fabrication of high-performance polymer composites such as energy-saving tire treads.

中文翻译：

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通过有效的氢硅烷官能化同时改善橡胶/纳米二氧化硅复合材料中的分散和界面相互作用

摘要 填料的表面改性对填料的分散性和界面附着力有着深远的影响，进而影响聚合物基复合材料的最终性能。在这一贡献中，聚甲基氢硅氧烷 (PMHS) 对二氧化硅的改性是通过高效快速的三（五氟苯基）硼烷催化的官能化进行的，该功能可以在室温下在几分钟内完成。在改性二氧化硅中同时观察到高度疏水的表面和不妥协的反应性。通过比较填充原始二氧化硅和改性二氧化硅的复合材料，发现这种 PMHS 改性不仅可以通过降低表面能来提高二氧化硅的分散性，而且还可以通过残留的 Si H 键的反应性增强界面相互作用. PMHS 接枝含量低至 1.5 wt%，改性复合材料在机械性能（模量增加 116%）和动态性能（湿牵引增加 116%，滚动阻力降低 26%）方面表现出巨大的改进。考虑到改性复合材料优越的综合性能，以及改性过程的简单性和快速性，我们认为氢硅烷改性的二氧化硅在制造节能轮胎胎面等高性能聚合物复合材料方面具有巨大的潜力。