Dec 14 2007
XIAMETER(R), Dow Corning's web-enabled business, will add sulfur silanes to its product line beginning January 1, 2008. These new products, used by manufacturers in the production of tires and general rubber goods, will be available to customers in Europe and the United States.
"Dow Corning has extensive experience producing sulfur silanes for the tire industry," explained David Unsworth, business development manager of Xiameter. "By offering these products through Xiameter, customers benefit from the convenience of online purchasing, market-based prices and the reliability they have come to expect from Xiameter."
Sulfur silane is widely used as a coupling agent and as an adhesion promoter in rubber compounds. One of its key applications is in the production of silica-reinforced tread for "green" tires.
"We recognize the importance of sulfur silanes to our customers in Europe and the United States, so we are pleased that Xiameter is now offering them in both regions," Unsworth said.
Silanes are versatile materials used in a wide range of applications including adhesion promoters, coupling agents, crosslinking agents, dispersing agents and surface modifiers.
The use of a silane coupling agent in combination with silica, or other mineral agents in rubber, especially tires, has become increasingly important. "Green" tires first emerged as a concept in the 1990s, when tire engineers discovered that if they used silane with silica as a reinforcing filler in tread compounds, instead of the traditional carbon black, tire rolling resistance was reduced and wet traction was improved.