Re-think” sulfur curing – part 1

Since Charles Goodyear discovered the sulfur curing of NR in 1839, many studies were carried out to understand its mechanism. Nowadays, the broadly accepted mechanism includes an activated accelerator Zn-complex which enables sulfur coupling to the polymer in the allylic position to the double bond. <br/>Modern passenger car tire treads do not contain any longer Natural Rubber but a blend of SSBR and BR, filled with a silica /silane system. Is it possible to transfer all in NR gained knowledge to such a modern passenger car tire tread formulation or is it required to “re-think” sulfur curing?<br/><br/>