Bridgestone Corporation

The Firestone Tire & Rubber Company

Bridgestone/firestone, Inc.

Firestone Polymers, LLC

James E Hall

Xiaorong Wang

David F Lawson

Thomas A Antkowiak

Mark L Stayer

Adel Farhan Halasa

John R Schreffler

Victor J Foltz

Chenchy Jeffrey Lin

Yoichi Ozawa

Georg G A Böhm

Daniel F Graves

Hideo Takeichi

James A Krom

Terrence Eugene Hogan

Donald N Schulz

Naruhiko Mashita

Koichi Morita

James Oziomek

Hajime Kondo

Sandra M Warren

William L Hergenrother

Jung W Kang

David M Roggeman

Sandra Warren

Georg G Bohm

Jason T Poulton

Shinichi Toyosawa

Mark N DeDecker

Takahiro Matsuse

Peyman Pakdel

Mario DeTrano

David W Carlson

Adolph Para

Zengquan Qin

James Herman Pawlow

Xiao-Dong Pan

Christopher G Robertson

Hiroyuki Fudemoto

Shunji Araki

Peter W Boerner

Pat Sadhukhan

Mark Arigo

Dale A Tompkins

Alberto Scurati

Frank J Clark

Noriko Mori

Xiao-Liang Luo

Brent Iceman

James Harwood

Steven X L Luo

Yoichi F Ozawa

William J Shuttleworth

Davis W Carlson

Georg Böhm

This invention relates to rubber compositions having a low aromatic-oil content, or no aromatic oils at all. The rubber composition contains a diene rubber, one or more fillers, and a low molecular weight, functionalized polymer than has the ability to interact with the fillers and act and as a replacement to the aromatic oil. The rubber compositions so produced may be used in tread rubbers and have exhibited good snow/wet traction properties and low rolling resistance.

Rubber composition having good wet-traction properties and a low aromatic-oil content

Terminally functionalized polymers that are living or pseudo-living polymers reacted with certain allyl glycidyl ethers, or certain allylhalosilanes or combinations thereof, and a process for preparing the terminally functionalized polymers. Rubber-modified polymeric compositions comprising the terminally functionalized polymers.

Polymers and use thereof in preparation of high impact polymeric compositions

A method for forming a rubber-modified polymeric composition includes polymerizing vinyl aromatic monomer within a mixture including the vinyl aromatic monomer and an interpolymer having at least one block of polyisoprene, at lest one block of polystyrene, and at lest one block of polybutadiene to thereby form the rubber-modified polymeric composition, where the interpolymer includes an internal block of polyisoprene.

Method of preparing rubber comprising polymeric compositions and isoprene comprising interpolymers

Provided is a polymer nanoparticle comprising a core and a vulcanizable shell, wherein the core has a glass transition temperature (Tg) of at least about 150&#xb0; C. Also provided is a method of preparing polymer nanoparticles with a core and a vulcanizable shell, comprising (a) in a liquid hydrocarbon medium, polymerizing conjugated diene monomers to produce a poly(conjugated diene) block and (b) copolymerizing the poly(conjugated diene) block with a mixture of mono-vinyl aromatic monomers and multiple-vinyl aromatic monomers to produce an aromatic block, wherein the core has a Tg of at least about 150&#xb0; C. Also provided is a composition comprising (a) a rubber matrix; and (b) a polymer nanoparticle including a core and a vulcanizable shell; wherein the Tg of the core is at least about 150&#xb0; C.

Vulcanizable nanoparticles having a core with a high glass transition temperature

A polymeric nanoparticle composition is provided. The nanoparticle may be of a core/shell configuration with an interphase region connecting the core and the shell. The mean average diameter of the polymer nanoparticles may be less than about 250 nm. The size, composition, and/or configuration of the interphase region may be varied to achieve desired physical and/or chemical properties of the resulting polymeric nanoparticles, and of the compositions into which the nanoparticles are compounded.

Polymeric core-shell nanoparticles with interphase region

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 process for producing low molecular weight polymers, the process comprising partially hydrogenating an unsaturated polymer to form a partially hydrogenated polymer, and reacting the partially hydrogenated polymer with an acyclic alkene in the presence of a metathesis catalyst.

Method for preparing low molecular weight polymers

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

Provided is a method comprising reacting the anionic living end of a polymer that is end capped with a steric hindering compound with a carbonyl-containing compound to produce a polymer with a homolytically cleaveable group. An engineered plastic may then be produced by adding the polymer containing a homolytically cleavable group to a solvent comprising at least one vinyl monomer; (b) optionally adding at least one additional inert solvent; (c) optionally adding additives selected from the group consisting of extender oils, modifiers, and antioxidants; and (d) initiating polymerization of the at least one vinyl monomer by the use of an initiator and/or heat, wherein a free radical is produced from the polymer containing a homolytically cleavable group.

Method for generating free radical capable polymers using carbonyl-containing compounds

The inventive composition includes a block copolymer which includes four blocks and has the following block arrangement: B-S-B-S. The two polymer blocks B comprise conjugated diene monomer constitutional units; and the two polymer blocks S comprise vinyl aromatic hydrocarbon monomer constitutional units. The invention also includes methods of making such inventive compositions as well as asphalt compositions and/or thermoplastic elastomers which include such block copolymer.

Single step synthesis of functional multi-block 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. Applications of use as additives for rubber, including the rubber compositions, are also provided.

Rubber composition containing functionalized polymer nanoparticles

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

A flower-like 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 and are substantially free of chain ends. The nano-particles can be modified via, for example, hydrogenation. The nano-particles can advantageously be incorporated into rubbers, elastomers, and thermoplastics.

Polymeric nano-particles of flower-like structure and applications

Provided is a method comprising reacting the anionic living end of a polymer with a compound selected from the group consisting of tin halides and silicon halides to produced a polymer with a homolytically cleavable group containing a Sn&#x2014;C bond or a Si&#x2014;C bond. An engineered plastic may then be produced by adding the polymer containing a homolytically cleavable group containing a Sn&#x2014;C bond or a Si&#x2014;C bond to a solvent comprising at least one vinyl monomer; (b) optionally adding at least one additional inert solvent; (c) optionally adding additives selected from the group consisting of extender oils, modifiers, and antioxidants; and (d) initiating polymerization of the at least one vinyl monomer by the use of an initiator and/or heat, wherein a free radical is produced from the polymer containing a homolytically cleavable group containing a Sn&#x2014;C bond or a Si&#x2014;C bond.

Method for generating free radical capable polymers using tin or silicon halide compounds

Growing community of inventors

Mogadore, OH, United States of America

James E Hall