The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Feb. 26, 2008
Filed:
Mar. 05, 2007
Adel Farhan Halasa, Bath, OH (US);
Wen-liang Hsu, Cuyahoga Falls, OH (US);
Scott K. Armstrong, Akron, OH (US);
Adel Farhan Halasa, Bath, OH (US);
Wen-Liang Hsu, Cuyahoga Falls, OH (US);
Scott K. Armstrong, Akron, OH (US);
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Akron, OH (US);
Abstract
The present invention is directed to a method for synthesizing rubbery copolymers, such as styrene-butadiene rubber, or rubbery homopolymers, such as polybutadiene rubber, that are alkoxy functionalized, e.g., alkoxysilane functionalized, and provide desirable dispersion of silica in rubber compounds, such as for use in tire treads. To that end, the method, in one embodiment, involves admixing anionically polymerizable conjugated diene monomers with optional vinyl aromatic, an anionic-polymerization initiator, i.e., an organolithium compound, and a lithium alkoxide to form an admixture of living polymers, then adding a halogenated coupling agent to the admixture of living polymers effecting conditions to form an alkoxy functionalized rubbery polymer. The alkoxy functionalized rubbery polymers can be utilized in tire tread rubbers where the rubbery polymers may provide desirable wear properties without substantially sacrificing other performance characteristic(s), e.g., traction properties.