Functionalization of living rubbery polymers with nitrones
AssigneeThe Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
InventorDane Kenton Parker
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Abstract
This invention discloses a low cost process that can be used to functionalize living rubbery polymers with terminal nitroxide end-groups to promote interaction between the polymer end-groups and surface functionalities commonly found on carbon black and silica fillers. Such functionalization makes the rubbery polymer more desirable for used in tire tread compositions and other rubber products. This technique more specifically involves reacting a metal terminated living polydiene rubber with a nitrone. The metal will typically be lithium and the polydiene rubber will typically be a polybutadiene rubber, a polyisoprene rubber, a styrene-butadiene rubber, a styrene-isoprene-butadiene rubber, an isoprene-butadiene rubber, or a styrene-isoprene rubber.
Claims19
A process for preparing a polydiene rubber having a high level of affinity for fillers which comprises reacting a metal terminated polydiene rubber with a nitrone wherein the metal terminated polydiene rubber is a living polymer.
A process for preparing a polydiene rubber having a high level of affinity for fillers which comprises reacting a lithium terminated polydiene rubber with a nitrone wherein the nitrone is of the structural formula:
- wherein R1 and R2 taken together with the carbon and nitrogen to which they are attached form a 5 to 8 membered ring.
A process for preparing a polydiene rubber having a high level of affinity for fillers which comprises reacting a lithium terminated polydiene rubber with a nitrone wherein the nitrone is of the structural formula:
- wherein R1 represents a phenyl group and wherein R2 represents an isopropyl group.
A process for preparing a polydiene rubber having a high level of affinity for fillers which comprises reacting a lithium terminated polydiene rubber with N-isopropyl-4-pyrrolidinophenylnitrone.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.