ABSTRACTThe hybrid of bamboo charcoal (BCC) and silica‐reinforced styrene‐butadiene rubber was prepared by a modified sol–gel method of hydrolyzing tetraethoxysilane over an acid catalyst. The fracture surface of the samples after tensile test was characterized by field emission‐scanning electron microscopy. The tensile strength, storage modulus, hardness, friction coefficient, and swelling test were discussed based on the samples with or without 3‐(methacryloxy) propyl trimethoxy silane modification. The results showed that the storage modulus clearly increased with the increasing of silica contents among the hybrid of BCC and silica‐reinforced samples. The storage modulus of the sample decreased after modification by 3‐(methacryloxy) propyl trimethoxy silane, indicating the improvement of the filler in SBR matrix. The tensile stress and the hardness both increased with the increasing of silica contents in the SBR matrix. Besides, the friction coefficient and the swelling ratio for the hybrid of BCC and silica‐reinforced SBR decreased with the decreasing of BCC contents in SBR matrix. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018, 135, 46219.