VOC-free coupling agents for rubber compositions
AssigneeThe Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
InventorsYuan-Yong Yan, Gyusaang Youn
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A coupling agent, a rubber composition, and a shaped article formed from the rubber composition, such as a pneumatic tire, are described. The coupling agent is represented by Formula I, and is capable of linking a substrate, such as a mineral oxide, carbon black or brass, to an unsaturated elastomer: where FG1 and FG2 each represent a functionalized arylene group, which can be the same or different; LG1 and LG2 each represent a linking group, which can be the same or different; and Sa represents a sequence of two or more connected sulfur atoms, where a is a number which is at least 2.
Claims15
A coupling agent according to Formula I, which is capable of linking at least one of a mineral oxide, carbon black and brass to an unsaturated elastomer,
- where FG1 and FG2 each represent a functionalized arylene group, which can be the same or different;
- LG1 and LG2 each represent a linking group, which can be the same or different;
- and
- Sa represents a sequence of two or more connected sulfur atoms, where a is a number which is at least 2;
- wherein at least one of the functionalized arylene groups FG1 and FG2 includes at least one reactive substituent selected from hydroxyl groups (—OH), primary or secondary amino groups (—NH2, —NHR), sulfhydryl groups (—SH), boronic acid groups [—B(OH)2], and mixtures thereof, wherein in the case of —NHR, each R is a hydrocarbyl group;
- and
- wherein at least one of the functionalized arylene groups FG1 and FG2 has the general form shown in Formula II:
- wherein each X is independently selected from —OH, —NH2, —NHR, —B(OH)2, and —SH, wherein in the case of —NHR, each R is a hydrocarbyl group;
- n is 1 or 2;
- each R1 is independently a hydrocarbyl group or where two R1 groups together form a ring;
- m is 0;
- and “*” represents a connection to a respective one of the linking groups.
A method of forming a tire comprising:
- combining a coupling agent with an unsaturated elastomer, at least one filler selected from a mineral oxide filler and carbon black, and a sulfur-based curing agent to form a mixture, the coupling agent formed by the reaction of:
- a difunctional organic polysulfide having a first reactive group at a first end and a second reactive group at a second end;
- and
- a polyfunctional arylene compound which has a first functional group that is capable of reaction with the reactive groups of the difunctional organic polysulfide and a second functional group that is capable of interaction with a substrate surface, the polyfunctional arylene compound being in sufficient amount to react with the first and second reactive groups of the difunctional organic polysulfide;
- shaping the mixture to form a green component of a tire;
- and
- curing the green component with other green components to form the tire.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.