Epoxidized vegetable oils are well-known as biobased, sustainable additives for polymers. However, relatively little work has been done to explore their effects on silica-filled rubber composites in depth. In order to address this knowledge gap, high purity epoxidized soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) oils with varying levels of epoxidation were synthesized and compounded with a model silica-filled styrene-butadiene rubber formulation. The green properties, process characteristics, and cured properties (quasi-static and dynamic mechanical characteristics) of the resultant compounds were then assessed. A ∼7 % decrease in mixing energy was observed with the inclusion of ∼0.8 vol% of 100 % epoxidized soybean oil. Changes in cure kinetics and dynamic mechanical properties were observed as a function of epoxy group concentration. The changes in dynamic mechanical properties are explained in terms of changes in silica dispersion state as a consequence of epoxidized soybean oil addition.

环氧化植物油是众所周知的生物基，可持续的聚合物添加剂。但是，在深度研究其对二氧化硅填充的橡胶复合材料的影响方面所做的工作相对较少。为了解决这一知识鸿沟，高纯度环氧化大豆（Glycine max合成了具有不同环氧化水平的（L.）Merr。）油，并与模型二氧化硅填充的丁苯橡胶配方混合。然后评估所得化合物的生坯特性，工艺特性和固化特性（准静态和动态机械特性）。观察到混合能量下降了约7％，其中包含约0.8体积％的100％环氧化大豆油。观察到固化动力学和动态机械性能的变化是环氧基浓度的函数。动态力学性能的变化用环氧化大豆油添加后二氧化硅分散状态的变化来解释。