Zinc oxide (ZnO) is widely used as an activator in the vulcanization process of natural rubber. However, due to its poor compatibility with natural rubber, a large amount of ZnO needs to use, and the unreacted ZnO can precipitate in various ways, posing significant harm to aquatic organisms and microorganisms. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce the dosage of ZnO in order to minimize its environmental impact. In this study, we applied ZIF‐8, a zinc‐based metal–organic framework, as a vulcanization additive in natural rubber. and it was found that ZIF‐8 could promote the rubber vulcanization reaction by adsorbing sulfur, promoting sulfur ring‐opening, and providing different ligand interactions of Zn2+. Moreover, even at low usage levels of ZIF‐8, it effectively reduces the amount of ZnO while simultaneously improving the mechanical properties of the samples. This work provides an effective method to reduce the amount of ZnO without sacrificing the rubber properties and provides a new idea for the application of ZIF‐8 in rubber materials.Highlights ZIF‐8 enhances properties of natural rubber composites with low ZnO dosages. Revealing the reason why ZIF‐8 promotes the vulcanization of natural rubber. Investigation of the effect of ZIF‐8 on the vulcanization properties of natural rubber.

中文翻译：

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使用 ZIF-8 作为硫化添加剂优化天然橡胶复合材料以降低 ZnO 含量

氧化锌（ZnO）广泛用作天然橡胶硫化过程中的活化剂。但由于其与天然橡胶的相容性较差，需要使用大量的ZnO，且未反应的ZnO会以多种方式沉淀，对水生生物和微生物造成重大危害。因此，有必要减少ZnO的用量，以尽量减少其对环境的影响。在这项研究中，我们应用 ZIF-8（一种锌基金属有机骨架）作为天然橡胶的硫化添加剂。研究发现ZIF-8可以通过吸附硫、促进硫开环以及提供不同的Zn配体相互作用来促进橡胶硫化反应。2+。此外，即使 ZIF-8 的使用量较低，它也能有效减少 ZnO 的含量，同时提高样品的机械性能。该工作提供了一种在不牺牲橡胶性能的情况下减少ZnO用量的有效方法，为ZIF-8在橡胶材料中的应用提供了新思路。 ZIF-8 可以提高低 ZnO 用量的天然橡胶复合材料的性能。 揭示ZIF-8促进天然橡胶硫化的原因。 ZIF-8对天然橡胶硫化性能影响的研究