Elastomers having reduced hysteresis prepared with vinyl imidazole

An endcapped polymer comprising;

• (a) a polymer backbone, said backbone being a polymer of one or more conjugated dienes having from 4 to about 12 carbon atoms or a copolymer of one or more conjugated dienes having from 4 to about 12 carbon atoms with one or more monovinyl aromatic monomers having from 8 to about 18 carbon atoms;
• and
• (b) an end group, said end group being a vinyl imidazolyl or vinyl benzimidazotyl group or short chain polymer thereof.

A process for preparing an endcapped polymer which comprises reacting a living polymer having at least one functional site with at least one equivalent of an endcapping agent, said endcapping agent being a vinyl substituted imidazole or vinyl substituted benzimidazole,

• wherein said living polymer is formed by polymerization of a monomer or mixture thereof in solution in the presence of a polymerization initiator, said monomer or mixture thereof being selected from the group consisting of conjugated dienes having 4 to about 12 carbon atoms and mixtures of one or more said conjugated dienes with one or more monovinyl aromatic monomers having from 8 to about 18 carbon atoms.