Korea Kumho Petrochemical Co., Ltd.

Jin-Man Hwang

Young-Hoon Ko

Hoo-Chae Kim

Jae-Yun Kim

Jae-Young Ko

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.

Preparation method of copolymer

The present invention relates to a process for polymer hydrogenation that includes: polymerizing or copolymerizing at least one conjugated diene in a hydrocarbon solvent using an organic alkali metal polymerization initiator to generate a living polymer; adding a terminating agent selected from amines, esters, ketones, or halogen compounds to deactivate the active terminal of the living polymer; and selectively hydrogenating the conjugated diene polymer using at least one organotitanium compound and a lithium hydride, which is prepared from a reactor equipped with a high-speed injection nozzle and thereby precisely controlled in regard to particle diameter. The lithium hydride as used in this process is a highly active lithium hydride having a precisely controlled particle diameter as prepared from a reactor equipped with a high-speed injection nozzle to acquire stable hydrogenation reaction rate and hydrogenation reproducibility, and particularly allow the quantitative control of the lithium hydride/titanium mole ratio in the hydrogenation of the conjugated diene polymer having different molecular weights, thereby maintaining a high hydrogenation activity.

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Seoul, South Korea

Jin-Man Hwang