Treated fillers, compositions containing same, and articles prepared therefrom

A treated filler, produced by:

• (a) treating an aqueous slurry comprising untreated filler, wherein said untreated filler has not been previously dried, with a treating composition comprising a treating agent, thereby forming a treated filler slurry;
• and
• (b) drying said treated filler slurry to produce treated filler,
• wherein said treating agent comprises a polymer comprising (i) at least one first group that interacts with said untreated filler and (ii) at least one second group that interacts with a rubber matrix into which said treated filler is incorporated, wherein the at least one first group is selected from an ester, carboxylic acid, imide, anhydride, diacid, lactone, oxirane, isocyanate, hydrolysis products thereof, salts thereof, or combinations thereof,
• wherein the treating composition further comprises a coupling agent comprising an organosilane selected from the group consisting of (4-chloromethyl-phenyl) trimethoxysilane, (4-chloromethyl-phenyl) triethoxysilane, [2-(4-chloromethyl-phenyl)-ethyl] trimethoxysilane, [2-(4-chloromethyl-phenyl)-ethyl] triethoxysilane, (3-chloro-propenyl)-trimethoxysilane, (3-chloro-propenyl)-triethoxysilane, (3-chloro-propyl)-triethoxysilane, (3-chloro-propyl)-trimethoxysilane, trimethoxy-(2-p-tolyl-ethyl)silane, triethoxy-(2-p-tolyl-ethyl)silane, and combinations thereof,
• wherein the treating composition further comprises a sulfur-containing organosilane coupling agent represented by formula (II):
• (R3)c(R4)dSiY4-c-d (II)
• wherein each R3 is independently a hydrocarbyl group comprising 1 to 12 carbon atoms and a functional group, wherein the functional group of the hydrocarbyl group is sulfide, polysulfide, or mercapto;
• each R4 is independently a hydrocarbyl group having from 1 to 18 carbon atoms or hydrogen;
• Y is independently halogen or alkoxy having 1 to 12 carbon atoms;
• c is 0, 1, 2, or 3;
• d is 0, 1, or 2;
• (c+d) is 1, 2, or 3;
• provided that when d is 1, (c+d) is 2 or 3, and
• wherein the filler comprises precipitated silica.