Bridgestone starts nano-scale research on tire materials

Tohoku, Japan – Bridgestone Corp. has begun R&D work on tire materials at its research unit in Sendai City, Miyagi, accessing the NanoTerasu synchrotron radiation facility at Tohoku University.

The 3GeV high-intensity synchrotron radiation facility uses ‘soft x-rays’ that are effective for observing polymer materials, including tire materials, on a molecular scale,  the group reported 16 May.

The newly constructed facility is claimed to be the best of its type in the world: generating soft x-rays at around 100 times the intensity of conventional facilities.

By understanding the properties of materials on a molecular scale, Bridgestone said it expects to advance its Enliten tire technology platform and develop rubbers that can be readily recycled.

In particular, Bridgestone will focus in on the "complex chemical structure” of crosslinked rubber and the molecular characteristics that make it rubber difficult to process for recycling.

"To achieve both high levels of tire performance and sustainability, it is necessary to accurately understand the chemical structure of crosslinks,” Bridgestone explained.

The project, it added, aims to “elucidate the mechanism” by observing the chemical structure of crosslinking at the molecular level.

This will lead to the development of new materials based on polymer composite design and efficient rubber recycling technology, expects Bridgestone.