Loading patent…
AssigneeThe Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
InventorsSeth Cody Ensign, Margaret Flook Vielhaber, Jena Lynn Johngrass, Liqing Ma
Estimating the term…
The compatibility between silica fillers and synthetic rubbers which are synthesized utilizing lanthanide-based catalyst systems, such as neodymium catalyst systems can be improved by terminating the polymerization with a vinyl silane terminating agent. In doing so the vinyl silane is allowed to react with the polymer chain ends of the neodymium rubber to functionalize the chain ends of the polymer chains with silicon containing groups. This results in the rubber having better characteristics for utilization in tire rubber formulations, such a tire tread formulations, that exhibit improved wear characteristics and lower rolling resistance. The process for the synthesis of such functionalized polydiene rubber comprises (1) polymerizing a diene monomer in the presence of a lanthanide-based catalyst system, and (2) terminating the polymerization with a vinyl silane terminator. The functionalized polydiene rubber composition made by this method is comprised of a polydiene rubber which is functionalized at its chain ends with a silicon containing group.
A process for the synthesis of a functionalized polydiene rubber which comprises (1) polymerizing a diene monomer in the presence of a lanthanide-based catalyst system, and (2) terminating the polymerization with a vinyl silane terminator, wherein the vinyl silane terminator is a compound of the structural formula:
A process for the synthesis of a functionalized polydiene rubber which comprises (1) polymerizing a diene monomer in the presence of a lanthanide-based catalyst system, and (2) terminating the polymerization with a vinyl silane terminator, wherein the vinyl silane terminator is VPOS.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.