Elastomer Composites with Enhanced Ice Grip Based on Renewable Resources

Slips and falls on icy surfaces can cause serious injuries of people. The primary risk factor for slipping incidents is undoubtedly the decreased friction coefficient between the shoe sole and the ice or snow surface. Nowadays environmental protection has been gaining significance and becoming highly important for the various innovation strategies. In rubber industry the concept of environmental protection is more often associated with the maximum use of elastomers and ingredients from renewable sources in the manufacture of rubber products. The aim of this work is to investigate the possibilities of using elastomers and ingredients from renewable sources—epoxidized natural rubber, silica obtained by rice husks incineration and microcrystalline cellulose—as fillers and rapeseed oil as a process additive in compositions, intended for the manufacture of soles for winter footwear having an increased coefficient of friction to icy surfaces. The tribological tests based on the coefficient of friction evaluated the adhesion of the composites to the icy surfaces at different temperatures. The complex evaluation of developed composites revealed those containing microcrystalline cellulose and biogenic amorphous silica at a 1:1 ratio as the most suitable for making footwear soles because of the best combination of physicо-mechanical properties and coefficient of friction.