Bridgestone Corporation

Chenchy Jeffrey Lin

William L Hergenrother

Terrence Eugene Hogan

Xiaorong Wang

James E Hall

Georg G A Böhm

Koichi Morita

Ashley S Hilton

James A Krom

Hajime Kondo

Sandra M Warren

Shunji Araki

James Herman Pawlow

Yaohong Chen

Lorri L Shultz

Daniel F Graves

Christine M Rademacher

Christopher G Robertson

Atsushi Fukushima

Haiying Zhou

Lori L Shultz

A rubber composition includes an elastomer having an elongation at break (Eb) of about 50% or more according to ASTM-D 412 at 25&#xb0; C., a water-insoluble keratin, and a reinforcing filler. A tire component including the composition and a method for making the composition are also disclosed.

Keratin in rubber applications

Methods of forming blocked-mercapto alkoxy-modified silsesquioxanes are provided. The blocked-mercapto alkoxy-modified silsesquioxane compounds contain an alkoxysilane group that participates in an alkoxysilane-silica reaction as a silica dispersing agent in rubber, with the release of zero to about 0.1% by weight of the rubber as alcohol (a volatile organic compound (VOC)), during compounding and further processing. The blocked-mercapto alkoxy-modified silsesquioxane compounds also contain a blocked mercapto group which, when de-blocked, allows the mercapto group to interact with the polymer(s) in a rubber composition. Further described are rubber compounds containing the blocked-mercapto alkoxy-modified silsesquioxanes.

Methods of making blocked-mercapto alkoxy-modified silsesquioxane compounds

Alkoxy-modified silsesquioxane compounds are described. The alkoxy-modified silsesquioxane compounds contain an alkoxysilane group that participates in an alkoxysilane-silica reaction as a silica dispersing agent in rubber, with the release of zero to about 0.1% by weight of the rubber of volatile organic compounds (VOC), especially alcohol, during compounding and further processing. Further described are methods for making alkoxy-modified silsesquioxanes, methods for making vulcanizable rubber compounds containing alkoxy-modified silsesquioxanes, vulcanizable rubber compounds containing alkoxy-modified silsesquioxanes, and pneumatic tires comprising a component that contains alkoxy-modified silsesquioxanes.

Compounding silica-reinforced rubber with low volatile organic compound (VOC) emission

A method for preparing a vulcanizable elastomeric composition where, in a first mixing step, ingredients including an elastomer having a silica-interactive functional group, a filler comprising silica, and optionally, a catalyst, are mixed, and the amount of polar compounds is limited.

Method of producing a tire composition having improved silica reinforcement

The invention provides vulcanizable rubber compound having improved tensile mechanical and dynamic viscoelastic properties. The compounds are formed by mixing an elastomer, containing unsaturated carbon-carbon bonds in its molecular structure, with a reinforcing inorganic filler silica in the presence of an alkyl alkoxysilane and a non-sulfur coupling agent that binds to the rubber backbone with an 'ene' linkage or a 1,3 dipolar addition linkage. In particular, the coupling agent and the alkyl alkoxysilane are present in the compound in a weight ratio of about 0.0001:1 to about 1:1.

Rubber compositions containing non-sulfur silica coupling agents bound to diene rubbers

A vulcanizable rubber composition is presented that comprises an elastomer; a reinforcing filler selected from silica, carbon black, and mixtures thereof, a cure agent; and an amino alkoxy-modified silsesquioxane (AMS) comprising one or more compounds selected from the group consisting of an amino AMS, an amino/mercaptan co-AMS, an amino/blocked mercaptan co-AMS, mixtures thereof, and weak acid-neutralized solid and aqueous solutions thereof. Addition of such compounds to the rubber composition provides improved dynamic viscoelastic and mechanical properties of the vulcanized rubber compound and predict that tire components, especially tread stocks, will provide tires having improved snow traction, lower rolling resistance but equal wet traction, increased rebound, decreased hysteresis, and a general improvement in tire performance.

Amino alkoxy-modified silsesquioxanes in silica-filled rubber with low volatile organic chemical evolution

A nano-particle composition including a poly(alkenylbenzene) core and a poly (conjugated diene) or a poly(alkylene) surface layer is provided. The nano-particles have a mean average diameter less than about 100 nm. The nano-particles can be modified via, for example, hydrogenation or functionalization. The nano-particles can advantageously be incorporated into rubbers, elastomers, and thermoplastics.

Nano-particle preparation and applications

Vulcanizable elastomeric compositions and vulcanizates are prepared by employing a titanium compound. The titanium compound is believed to enhance the reaction between a silica particle and a silica-reactive compound.

Tire compositions and vulcanizates thereof having improved silica reinforcement

It has been discovered that the use of a silica dispersing aid, a polymerized (substituted) imidazolium liquid ionomer (PSI), in vulcanizable rubber compositions, provides an increase in the compound modulus and satisfactory processing of silica-containing rubber compounds, especially for tire components, without sacrificing other beneficial rubber properties or increasing hysteresis.

Polymerized (substituted imidazolium) liquid ionomers for improved handling properties in silica-reinforced rubber compounds

A polymer nanoparticle is provided. The nanoparticle includes an inner layer having alkenylbenzene monomer units. The nanoparticle further includes an outer layer having monomer units selected from conjugated dienes, alkylenes, alkenylbenzenes, and mixtures thereof. The nanoparticle has at least one functional group associated with the outer layer. Applications of use as additives for rubber, including the rubber compositions, are also provided.

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Hudson, OH, United States of America

Chenchy Jeffrey Lin