Coupled polymer products, methods of making and compositions containing

A coupled polymer product comprising:

• polymer with up to a total of 5 polymer chains bonded directly to a functionalizing compound of formula (III), wherein formula (III) is as follows:
• acid anhydride-(Q2)(Q3)Si(X4)(X5)(X6) (III)
• wherein Q2 comprises at least two methylene groups bonded together and forming a cyclic acid anhydride for formula (III), wherein Q3 is divalent and selected from C1-C12 alkylene moieties or aromatic moieties, each X is a leaving group independently selected from halogens and alkoxy of OR7 wherein each R7 is independently selected from C1-C12 aliphatic hydrocarbyl,
• wherein the polymer chains comprise (a) at least one conjugated diene monomer optionally in combination with at least one vinyl aromatic monomer, and (b) at least one vinyl group-functionalized silane compound of formula (I) bonded within the polymer chain via its vinyl group, wherein formula (I) is as follows:
• (H2C═CH)-(A)-Si(R1)(R2)(R3) (I)
• wherein A is divalent and selected from C6-C20 aromatic hydrocarbons optionally substituted with an aliphatic alkylene moiety to which the Si is bonded, each of R1, R2, and R3 are independently selected from linear or branched C1-C12 hydrocarbyl and —N(R4)(R5), with at least one of R1, R2 and R3 selected from -N(R4)(R5), and wherein each R4 and R5 are independently selected from aliphatic hydrocarbyl of C1-C12 or aromatic hydrocarbyl of C6-C18, with R4 and R5 optionally bonded together into a ring, and le and R2 are optionally bonded together into a ring comprising two nitrogen atoms,
• wherein the average number of vinyl group-functionalized aminosilane compound of formula (I) per polymer chain is about 0.1:1 to about 3:1, and
• up to 3 polymer chains are bonded to the Si of each compound of formula (III).

A coupled polymer product comprising:

• polymer with up to a total of 5 polymer chains bonded directly to a functionalizing compound of formula (III), wherein formula (III) is as follows:
• acid anhydride-(Q2)(Q3)Si(X4)(X5)(X6) (III)
• wherein Q2 comprises at least two methylene groups bonded together and forming a cyclic acid anhydride for formula (III), wherein Q3 is divalent and selected from C1-C12 alkylene moieties or aromatic moieties, each X is a leaving group independently selected from halogens and alkoxy of OR7 wherein each R7 is independently selected from C1-C12 aliphatic hydrocarbyl,
• wherein the polymer chains comprise (a) at least one conjugated diene monomer optionally in combination with at least one vinyl aromatic monomer, and (b) at least one vinyl group-functionalized silane compound of formula (I) bonded within the polymer chain via its vinyl group, wherein formula (I) is as follows:
• (H2C=CH)-(A)-Si(R1)(R2)(R3) (I)
• wherein A is divalent and selected from C6-C20 aromatic hydrocarbons optionally substituted with an aliphatic alkylene moiety to which the Si is bonded, each of R1, R2, and R3 are independently selected from linear or branched C1-C12 hydrocarbyl and —N(R4)(R5), with at least one of R1, R2 and R3 selected from —N(R4)(R5), and wherein each R4 and R5 are independently selected from aliphatic hydrocarbyl of C1-C12 or aromatic hydrocarbyl of C6-C18, with R4 and R5 optionally bonded together into a ring, and R1 and R2 are optionally bonded together into a ring comprising two nitrogen atoms,
• wherein the average number of vinyl group-functionalized aminosilane compound of formula (I) per polymer chain is about 0.1:1 to about 3:1, and
• up to 3 polymer chains are bonded to the Si of each compound of formula (III), and wherein the coupled polymer product has a head where an initiator residue lacking any nitrogen atom resides.