A wear resistance nitrile butadiene rubber constructed via the dot‐surface structure of silica/graphene oxide for the shield machine main drive seal

Abstract The shield machine main drive seal is called the “immune system” of the shield machine, and its wear resistance directly affects the safety and efficiency of tunnel construction. Therefore, developing a main drive seal material with high wear resistance is especially significant. Here, the silane coupling agent Bis(triethoxysilylpropyl)tetrasulfide (Si69) modified silicon (SiO₂) was anchored to graphene oxide nanosheets (GO) to obtain SiO₂/GO nanocomposites (MSGO) with a dot‐surface structure. The as‐prepared MSGO was incorporated into carbon black (CB)‐filled nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR), which greatly improved the dispersion of CB, resulting in a well‐dispersed network of hybrid fillers. Additionally, the polysulfide functional groups on the surface of MSGO nanofillers chemically crosslink with the rubber molecules to fasten more chains of NBR, enhancing the interfacial interaction between the filler and the rubber. Compared with CB/NBR, the tear strength and wear resistance of MSGO/CB/NBR have increased by 37.72% and 53.16%, respectively. More importantly, the seal prepared with this material could be dug 2995.2 m on the self‐built test bench. This strategy provides a new approach for preparing a main drive seal with high wear resistance. Highlights ·A dot‐surface structure of MSGO nanoparticles is prepared. ·MSGO facilitates the dispersion of CB in the NBR matrix. ·MSGO endows high CB‐filled NBR with excellent wear resistance.