PF87: Redefining Nano-scale Innovation in Tire Inner Liner and Rubber Reinforcement

Abstract

In an era where the tire industry pursues high air retention, low rolling resistance, and sustainability, the performance boundaries of fillers are constantly being pushed. Traditional reinforcing materials like carbon black and silica are widely used but still face challenges in achieving ultimate processability, air barrier properties, and comprehensive cost optimization. GreenThinking® PF87 from the Shanzhen Group, as an activated nano-scale dehydrated aluminosilicate functional filler with its unique lamellar nano-structure (D50: 0.153μm, i.e., 153 nanometers), is redefining the standard for the “finest silicon-based reinforcing filler on the market”. This article provides an in-depth analysis of how PF87, leveraging its nano-scale size and high-porosity structure, enables partial replacement of silica and significantly enhances the overall performance of tire inner liners and other rubber products. It also showcases the Shanzhen Group’s strong technical capabilities and commitment to sustainable development as a materials solution provider. As a leading nanoscale rubber filler manufacturer in China and a functional rubber filler factory China, we offer this высокая performance rubber filler as a cost effective alternative to precipitated silica in rubber.

Chapter 1: Industry Challenges and the Innovative Positioning of PF87

1.1 Core Demands of Tire Inner Liners and High-Performance Rubber

The tire inner liner is a critical component for maintaining tire pressure and ensuring tire durability and energy efficiency. Its core performance requirements can be summarized as “high barrier, strong durability, excellent processability.” Traditional formulations typically rely on halobutyl rubber and carbon black but encounter the following bottlenecks:

• Air Barrier Limit: Conventional fillers struggle to significantly further improve gas barrier properties while maintaining physical performance.
• Balance Between Processability and Performance: High loadings of silica or carbon black for high strength often lead to increased Mooney viscosity, extrusion difficulties, and higher energy consumption.
• Sustainability Pressure: The industry urgently needs innovative materials that can reduce rolling resistance, decrease oil dependency, and possess environmentally friendly attributes.

In this context, a multi-functional nano reinforcing filler for rubber that provides excellent reinforcement, superior air barrier properties, and improved processing flow is in urgent market demand. PF87 is born for this purpose. It serves as an inner liner filler for tires designed to improve air barrier properties in butyl rubber inner liner и solve tire pressure loss with advanced inner liner technology.

1.2 PF87: The Nano-scale Answer Derived from Natural Minerals

GreenThinking® PF87 is not a simple mineral powder. It is made from selected high-whiteness natural composite mineral raw materials, undergoes strict activation and dehydration processes, ensuring uniform chemical purity and stable particle size distribution. Its core advantage lies in its unique microscopic morphology:

• Nano-scale Particle Size: Laser particle size analysis shows its volume-based median particle size D50 is only 0.153 micrometers (153 nanometers), with a D97 of 11.36 micrometers, indicating that the vast majority of particles are at the nano and sub-micron scale. This is the foundation for its surface effects and reinforcing action.
• Lamellar High-Porosity Structure: Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) reveals that PF87 particles are lamellar and highly porous. This structure not only creates a more tortuous gas barrier path within the rubber matrix but also provides a vast specific surface area (volume-specific surface area of 43.60 m²/cc), facilitating bonding with rubber molecules. This makes it a high gas barrier rubber additive for tire applications.
• Activated Surface: Through special activation treatment, its surface is highly active, exhibiting excellent dispersibility in compounds, which is key to achieving performance enhancement without compromising processability.

Chapter 2: Technical Deep Dive – Application Validation of PF87 in Tire Inner Liners

Through systematic formulation comparison tests using a standard tire inner liner compound as a benchmark, where 20 parts of PF87 were used to replace 10 parts of carbon black N660 (i.e., total filler loading increased), the exceptional performance of PF87 was revealed.

2.1 Significant Improvement in Processing Performance

Data shows that the addition of PF87 brings immediate processing advantages:

• Reduced Mooney Viscosity: ML(1+4) decreased from 56.3 to 53.6. This means the compound is softer, flows better during mixing and extrusion, consumes less energy, and produces smoother extrudates, effectively reducing sidewall oil blooming/iridescence. This demonstrates its ability to replace silica in rubber compound for better processability.
• Equivalent Scorch Safety: t5 time remained essentially unchanged (29.8 vs. 29.3 minutes), ensuring processing safety.
• Fine-tuned Curing Characteristics: MH slightly decreased, and t90 slightly prolonged, providing flexibility for optimizing the curing process.

Technical Interpretation: The nano-lamellae of PF87 align more easily under shear forces, and its surface activity reduces friction between rubber molecular chains, thereby lowering overall viscosity. This solves common processing problems in high-filler-loading formulations.

2.2 Comprehensive Benchmarking of Physical and Mechanical Properties

After curing at 151°C for 30 minutes, the PF87 formulation showed mechanical properties fully comparable to or even slightly surpassing the control group:

• Hardness and Density: Hardness remained unchanged at 55 Shore A; density slightly increased due to the characteristics of the mineral filler, which is within the normal range.
• Strength and Modulus: Tensile strength (10.9 MPa vs. 10.1 MPa), tear strength (32 vs. 33 kN/m), and 300% modulus (3.1 vs. 3.1 MPa) all performed comparably. This proves PF87 provides reinforcement effects close to N550 carbon black.
• Fatigue Resistance: After 500,000 flexing cycles, both showed no cracks (Grade 0), proving PF87 does not harm the dynamic durability of the compound.

2.3 Core Advantage Unleashed: Exceptional Gas Barrier and Aging Performance

This is where PF87’s value is most concentrated:

• Enhanced Gas Barrier Properties: Air permeability decreased from 12.73 to 11.32 m³/(m²·d·Pa), representing an approximately 6.6% reduction in permeability coefficient. The nano-lamellae create a “maze-like” barrier path within the rubber, significantly delaying gas molecule diffusion. It is a rubber filler to improve tire inner liner air retention and helps reduce air diffusion through tire inner liner with nano filler.
• Stable Aging Performance: After 100°C × 48 hours hot air aging, the retention rates of hardness, tensile strength, and elongation at break for the PF87 formulation were comparable to the control group, proving it has good thermal aging stability, thanks to its stable inorganic structure and potential synergistic anti-aging effects.

Experimental Conclusion: In inner liners, PF87 can not only partially replace more expensive or harder-to-process silica and carbon black but also significantly improve air retention and enhance processing flow while maintaining key physical properties, achieving “addition through subtraction.” It enables manufacturers to reduce compound cost without sacrificing tire durability and serves as a cost effective inner liner solution for tire manufacturers.

Chapter 3: Beyond the Inner Liner – PF87’s Multi-Scenario Applications and Silica Replacement Potential

The value of PF87 extends far beyond inner liners. Its nano-reinforcement, high barrier, low heat build-up, insulation, and synergistic flame-retardant properties demonstrate strong replacement potential in traditional silica application areas.

3.1 Penetration into Silica’s Dominant Areas

Silica is widely used in green tire treads due to its high reinforcement and low hysteresis. However, its high viscosity, poor dispersion, and moisture absorption issues have long plagued production. PF87 offers a new approach to solving these problems:

• Processability Advantage: Compared to silica, PF87 can effectively reduce compound viscosity, improve filler dispersion, decrease mixing energy consumption, and enhance extrusion and molding processes.
• Performance Portfolio: While providing effective reinforcement, PF87 combines excellent air barrier properties and inherently low compression set – characteristics silica lacks. For components requiring both sealing and dynamic performance (e.g., certain damper seals, low-pressure hoses), this is a unique advantage.
• Cost and Sustainability: As a natural mineral derivative, PF87 is cost-competitive. Its production process aligns with the Shanzhen Group’s green philosophy, making it an option for reducing formulation costs and improving environmental indices.

3.2 Broad Application Prospects

• Other Tire Components: Used in sidewall compounds to improve flex fatigue and aging resistance; used in apex compounds to optimize rigidity transition.
• Industrial Rubber Products: Manufacturing hoses and diaphragms requiring low gas permeability; used in cable sheathing requiring high insulation and low compression set; used as a functional filler in extrusion products requiring high surface finish.
• Synergistic Flame Retardant Systems: Its lamellar structure can form a physical barrier in polymers, synergizing with flame retardants to improve efficiency.

Chapter 4: Strong Backing – SaneZen Group’s Innovation Platform and Manufacturing Strength

The exceptional performance of PF87 is not accidental; it is rooted in the SaneZen Group’s profound material science expertise and strong industrialization capabilities.

4.1 Global R&D Network and Sustainable Development Mission

With the mission of “Empowering a Sustainable Future with Technology,” the Shanzhen Group has established a comprehensive R&D and innovation system covering the entire industry chain, anchored by three technical centers in Shanghai, Anhui, and Changzhou. We have not only developed the PF series of functional reinforcing materials but also possess:

• EG Series Bio-based Filler Enhancers, LG Series Lignin Nanoparticles: For partially replacing carbon black and reducing carbon emissions.
• NSA Series Nano Silicon-Aluminum Alloys, CNT Series Carbon Nanotubes: For improving wet grip and tire thermal conductivity, respectively.
  Group products strictly adhere to ESG principles, comply with EU REACH and RoHS standards, and are committed to driving the tire industry towards high performance and sustainable development in parallel. As a rubber additive China supplier, we provide a technical guide for inner liner filler selection and dosing.

4.2 Lean Manufacturing and Stringent Quality Control

The production base for PF87 – Zhaoqing Xinhengyuan New Material – is an epitome of the Group’s manufacturing excellence.

• IATF 16949 Certification: This system certification ensures quality consistency throughout the entire process from design to production, forming the cornerstone of serving global automotive and tire industry customers.
• Full-Process Control: From raw material selection and activation processes to finished product packaging, each step implements strict internal quality control, ensuring batch-to-batch consistency in chemical purity and particle size distribution for PF87. This is the foundation of its reliable performance.
• Scalable Supply Capacity: The Group has a complete industrial chain covering six business units including rubber compounds, functional additives, and silicone/fluorine materials, possessing strong production capacity and stable delivery guarantees. We are a nano particle size filler factory and a высокая performance rubber filler factory with robust capabilities.

4.3 Dual-Engine Model: “Material Innovation + Process Advancement”

We do not merely provide a single product but offer systematic solutions represented by PF87. Our technical team can work closely with customers to address specific application pain points (such as replacing a specific proportion of silica to optimize cost and performance, solving air barrier bottlenecks, improving extrusion appearance, etc.), conducting collaborative formulation design and process debugging to ensure PF87’s value is maximized in the final product.

Chapter 5: Conclusion and Outlook

GreenThinking® PF87, with its proven nano-scale reinforcing effects, revolutionary gas barrier performance, and significant processing improvement advantages, has successfully set a new benchmark for silicon-based functional fillers. It is not only a powerful tool for upgrading tire inner liner performance but also a highly competitive innovative choice for the rubber industry facing comprehensive challenges of high performance, low cost, and green transformation. Its potential for partially replacing silica and optimizing existing formulations opens new paths for product manufacturers to reduce costs and increase efficiency. This contributes to air retention improvement in radial tire manufacturing and addresses topics like nano clay vs traditional fillers for inner liner performance.

Choosing PF87 means choosing a reliable partner supported by a global R&D network, an IATF 16949 certified manufacturing system, and a sustainable development vision. The Shanzhen Group will continue to deepen exploration in cutting-edge fields such as nanomaterials and bio-based materials. Through “Green Thinking” products like PF87, we will collaborate with global partners for mutual advancement, jointly driving the rubber and tire industry towards a more efficient and sustainable future.