Preparation method of copolymer
AssigneeKorea Kumho Petrochemical Co., Ltd.
InventorsYoung-Hoon Ko, Jae-Young Ko, Jin-Man Hwang
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Abstract
The present invention provides a method for preparing a copolymer useful for the manufacture of tires by coupling the ends of a living polymer obtained from copolymerization of a diene monomer and a vinyl aromatic monomer in the presence of an organolithium catalyst and a hydrocarbon solvent with a multi-reactive polysiloxane compound and then modifying the remaining uncoupled ends of the polymer with an amine compound. The use of the copolymer thus obtained for the fabrication of tires improves the affinity to silica as well as carbon black used as a reinforcing material and provides enhanced properties required for tires, such as increased wet traction, reduced rolling resistance, and increased tread wear.
Claims14
A method for preparing a copolymer, comprising:
- (a) copolymerizing a conjugated diene monomer and a vinyl aromatic monomer in the presence of an organolithium catalyst in a hydrocarbon solvent and a Lewis base to obtain a living polymer;
- (b) coupling the living polymer with a multi-reactive polysiloxane represented by the following formula 1;
- and
- (c) subsequently modifying the uncoupled active ends of the living polymer with a compound represented by the following formula 2 or 3:
- (X)a(R)bY—[CH2]c—Si(R1)(R2)—[O—Si(R1)(R2)]d—[CH2]c—Y(X)u(R)b Formula 1
- wherein X is a halogen atom;
- Y is Si or C;
- R is a lower alkyl group having less than 20 carbon atoms;
- R1 is a hydrogen atom, a halogen-substituted alkyl group, a halogen-substituted silane group, or the same as R;
- R2 is halogen atom, or the same as R1;
- a is from 1 to 3;
- b is (3-a), wherein a+b=3;
- c is from 1 to 1000;
- and d is from 1 to 50000,
- (R23NBz)2CO Formula 2
- wherein R3 is a lower alkyl group having less than 20 carbon atoms;
- and Bz is a benzene ring,
- wherein R4 is a lower alkyl group having less than 20 carbon atoms.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.