Rubber compounds for use in producing vehicle tires

Abstract

The invention provides diene rubber-silica compounds comprising a diene rubber matrix having dispersed therein a silica filler, wherein said silica filler is surface-modified by covalent attachment of a cationic moiety which forms a cation-π interaction with the diene rubber matrix. In particular, it provides such compounds in which the diene rubber is styrene-butadiene rubber. Such compounds can be vulcanized and are suitable for producing vehicle tire components, such as tire treads.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.