Diene polymers and copolymers incorporating partial coupling and

Abstract

Diene polymers or copolymers having improved balance between raw polymer viscosity and mixed compound viscosity, useful in tire tread compositions having highly balanced wet traction, rolling resistance, and traction in ice and snow, and fracture properties in the cured and white carbon reinforced states are provided. These diene polymers or copolymers comprise a mixture of diene polymer or copolymer chains containing carbon-tin bonds in the main polymer or copolymer chains and diene polymer or copolymer chains containing terminals derived from hydrocarboxysilane compounds. The diene polymer or copolymers are prepared by first coupling a portion of the living diene polymer or copolymer chains obtained by anionic polymerization using a tin polyhalide coupling agent and then terminating the remaining living diene polymer or copolymer chains using hydrocarboxysilane compounds. The resultant diene polymers or copolymers have improved balance between raw polymer viscosity and mixed compound viscosity when compounded with silica and/or carbon black and cured compositions are useful in tire tread having highly balanced wet traction, rolling resistance, and traction in ice and snow. The polymers can be utilized to form elastomer compositions for tire treads having balanced properties of reduced rolling resistance and wet traction and handling or balanced properties of wet traction and handling and traction in snow and ice.