Bridgestone Corporation

Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC

Bridgestone/firestone Research, Inc.

Georg G A Böhm

Xiaorong Wang

William L Hergenrother

James E Hall

William M Cole

Chenchy Jeffrey Lin

Russell W Koch

Christine M Rademacher

Yingyi Huang

Walter Tomaszewski

Robert J Trew

Terrence Eugene Hogan

John D Rensel

John L Turner

Christopher G Robertson

Sanjeev D Naik

David F Lawson

Daniel F Graves

Paul B Wilson

Victor J Foltz

Koichi Morita

Hiroyuki Fudemoto

Shunji Araki

James A Krom

James D Ulmer

Zhong-Ren Chen

Timothy Leonard Tartamella

Hajime Kondo

Pat Sadhukhan

Mark Arigo

Sandra M Warren

Noriko Mori

Sandra Warren

Sunil B Sarkar

Anthony J Ramic

Processes for recovering natural rubber from an aqueous natural rubber latex that contains extractables and one or more additives and that is essentially free of lignocellulosic plant material are described. Natural rubber in the latex is separated from the water. Preferably, the amount of non-rubber extractables in the natural rubber is reduced by one or more extraction steps yielding a dried natural rubber.

Process for recovering rubber from natural rubber latex

Processes for recovering rubber from natural rubber latex

Branched polymers including multi-branched polymers, functionalized branched polymers, star-branched polymers, and dendigraft polymers. Methods for the synthesis of branched polymers and method for the use of branched polymers in tire components are also included.

Branched polymers and methods for their synthesis and use

A method for forming a vulcanizable composition of matter, the method comprising providing a polymer cement or latex comprising at least one rubber, adding at least one processing aid to the cement or latex to form a modified rubber cement or latex, isolating the rubber and at least one processing aid to form a premix, and mixing the premix with carbon black.

Method of improving carbon black dispersion in rubber compositions

A multi-functional polymer defined by the formula(Q-R&#xa6;&#x2014;Z&#x2014;P&#x2014;Ywhere (Q-R)is a functionality cluster, Q is a functional group, R is a multi-valent organic group, Pis a long-chain polymer, n is an integer from about 2 to about 10, Y is a proton, a weak functional group, or a selective functional group, and Z is a branch point where the functionality clusters join the long-chain polymer.

Multi-functional polymers

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.

Rubber composition containing functionalized polymer nanoparticles

Methods are provided for making solution masterbatches containing a diene elastomer in an organic solvent and a silica filler, having a first average particle size, that is ground in an organic solvent to form a silica having a reduced second average particle size. Grinding of the silica in the organic solvent, with or without other ingredients including the elastomer, produces a solution masterbatch in which the silica is mixed with and well dispersed in the elastomer. The use of such desolventized solution masterbatches in vulcanizable rubber compounds results in excellent processing characteristics allowing for the reduced use of processing aids such as oil. The compound also demonstrates improved properties, including reduced hysteresis.

Solution masterbatch process using finely ground fillers for low hysteresis rubber

A polymer nano-particle composition is provided, wherein the nano-particle includes a poly(alkenylbenzene) core and a surface layer including poly(conjugated diene). A method for self-assembly of the nano-particles is also provided. The polymer nano-particles are preferably less than about 100 nm in diameter.

Self assembly of molecules to form nano-particles

A polymer composition of low gas permeability. The composition includes an exfoliated organically-modified clay, butyl rubber, and a polymeric exfoliant. A method for producing the butyl composition by dry mixing the butyl rubber with the exfoliated clay is also provided.

Method for clay exfoliation, compositions therefore, and modified rubber containing same

Provided are enophile functionalized polymer particles, nano-sized inorganic metal particles such as Al(OH)particles, and preparations thereof. Also provided is a method of improving the properties of a rubber composition, such as a tire, by formulating the rubber to incorporate nano-sized inorganic metal particles such as Al(OH). The composition exhibits improved properties including bonding rubber, tensile strength, tear strength, and wet traction, among others. A novel rubber composition comprising nano-sized inorganic metal particles is also disclosed.

Nano-sized inorganic metal particles, preparation thereof, and application thereof in improving rubber properties

A tire component including a tire tread that comprises a vulcanized rubber, a rubber filler, and a modified rubber, where the modified rubber i) contains pendent or functional groups that contain carboxylic acid or anhydride groups, ii) has pendently grafted thereto a polymerized metal salt of an unsaturated carboxylic acid, or iii) contains both i and ii. The use of such modified rubbers in tire components advantageously increases the G' of such components.

Tire components having improved modulus

A multi-functional polymer defined by the formula(Q&#x2014;RZ&#x2014;P&#x2014;Ywhere (Q&#x2014;R)is a functionality cluster, Q is a functional group, R is a multi-valent organic group, Pis a long-chain polymer, n is an integer from about 2 to about 10, Y is a proton, a weak functional group, or a selective functional group, and Z is a branch point where the functionality clusters join the long-chain polymer.

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. The nanoparticle further has at least one metal complexed with said functional group. The nanoparticles can be used as a templates for preparation of nano-sized metal crystals and polymer-metal nanocomposite.

Nano-sized polymer-metal composites

Growing community of inventors

Akron, OH, United States of America

Georg G A Böhm