A rubber composition is based on at least: from 60 to 100 phr of one or more diene elastomers, referred to as very low glass transition temperature (Tg) diene elastomers, exhibiting a Tg within a range extending from −110° C. to −70° C., chosen from butadiene homopolymers, copolymers of butadiene and of vinylaromatic monomer, exhibiting a content of vinylaromatic unit of between 0% and 5% by weight, and the mixtures of these; a reinforcing filler; crosslinking system; and from 50 to 150 phr of at least one hydrocarbon resin predominantly composed of units resulting from α-pinene monomers, the resin exhibiting an aliphatic proton content of greater than 95%.

An end-group functionalized polymer having one or more end groups according to the general formula (I)

##STR00001##

wherein
R1 represents a saturated or unsaturated, linear or branched, preferably aliphatic, hydrocarbon group having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms which, in addition to C and H, may contain one or more heteroatoms, preferably independently of one another selected from O, N, S or Si;
R2, R3 are identical or different and represent saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon groups having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms and wherein the hydrocarbon group may contain, in addition to C and H atoms, one or more heteroatoms, preferably selected from the group consisting of O, N, S and Si;
A represents a residue selected from the group consisting of O-R4-OH, R5-OH and R6-NH-R7, preferably O-R4-OH wherein R4, R5 and R6 represent a saturated or unsaturated linear or branched hydrocarbon group which, in addition to C and H atoms, may contain one or more heteroatoms, independently selected from O, N, S or Si and which contains from 1 to 20 carbon atoms and wherein
R7 represents H or a linear or branched or cyclic aliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbon group having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms and which, in addition to C and H atoms, may contain one or more heteroatoms, preferably selected from O, N, S or Si;
and wherein the polymer is a homopolymer of a conjugated diene or a copolymer of at least one or more conjugated diene and one or more vinylaromatic monomer and, optionally one or more other comonomers. Also provided are a process for making the polymers and articles made with the polymers.

An end-group functionalized polymer having one or more end groups according to the general formula (I)

##STR00001##

wherein
R1 represents a saturated or unsaturated, linear or branched, preferably aliphatic, hydrocarbon group having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms which, in addition to C and H, may contain one or more heteroatoms, preferably independently of one another selected from O, N, S or Si;
R2, R3 are identical or different and represent saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon groups having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms and wherein the hydrocarbon group may contain, in addition to C and H atoms, one or more heteroatoms, preferably selected from the group consisting of O, N, S and Si;
A represents a residue selected from the group consisting of O-R4-OH, R5-OH and R6-NH-R7, preferably O-R4-OH wherein R4, R5 and R6 represent a saturated or unsaturated linear or branched hydrocarbon group which, in addition to C and H atoms, may contain one or more heteroatoms, independently selected from O, N, S or Si and which contains from 1 to 20 carbon atoms and wherein
R7 represents H or a linear or branched or cyclic aliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbon group having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms and which, in addition to C and H atoms, may contain one or more heteroatoms, preferably selected from O, N, S or Si;
and wherein the polymer is a homopolymer of a conjugated diene or a copolymer of at least one or more conjugated diene and one or more vinylaromatic monomer and, optionally one or more other comonomers. Also provided are a process for making the polymers and articles made with the polymers.

An end-group functionalized polymer having one or more end groups according to the general formula (I)

##STR00001##

wherein
R1 represents a saturated or unsaturated, linear or branched, preferably aliphatic, hydrocarbon group having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms which, in addition to C and H, may contain one or more heteroatoms, preferably independently of one another selected from O, N, S or Si;
R2, R3 are identical or different and represent saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon groups having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms and wherein the hydrocarbon group may contain, in addition to C and H atoms, one or more heteroatoms, preferably selected from the group consisting of O, N, S and Si;
A represents a residue selected from the group consisting of O-R4-OH, R5-OH and R6-NH-R7, preferably O-R4-OH wherein R4, R5 and R6 represent a saturated or unsaturated linear or branched hydrocarbon group which, in addition to C and H atoms, may contain one or more heteroatoms, independently selected from O, N, S or Si and which contains from 1 to 20 carbon atoms and wherein
R7 represents H or a linear or branched or cyclic aliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbon group having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms and which, in addition to C and H atoms, may contain one or more heteroatoms, preferably selected from O, N, S or Si;
and wherein the polymer is a homopolymer of a conjugated diene or a copolymer of at least one or more conjugated diene and one or more vinylaromatic monomer and, optionally one or more other comonomers. Also provided are a process for making the polymers and articles made with the polymers.

The present invention concerns new precursors of recyclable cross-linked diene elastomers comprising at least one furanyl group along the chain and comprising chain-end units with furanyl groups, their use in the preparation of said recyclable elastomers and their process of preparation. The invention also concerns new recyclable cross-linked diene elastomers, their preparation process and their uses.

Provided is a pneumatic tire having both improved run-flat durability and excellent wet grip properties; the pneumatic tire including a rubber composition used in a tread part, and a rubber support layer having a gauge thickness in a specified range; the rubber composition including specified compounded amounts of natural rubber, a terminal-modified styrene-butadiene rubber, silica, and a thermoplastic resin, wherein the rubber composition is largely strain-dependent for the storage elastic modulus.

Provided is a pneumatic tire having both improved run-flat durability and excellent wet grip properties; the pneumatic tire including a rubber composition used in a tread part, and a rubber support layer having a gauge thickness in a specified range; the rubber composition including specified compounded amounts of natural rubber, a terminal-modified styrene-butadiene rubber, silica, and a thermoplastic resin, wherein the rubber composition is largely strain-dependent for the storage elastic modulus.

The present invention relates to a modified conjugated diene-based polymer and a rubber composition including the same, and provides a modified conjugated diene-based polymer satisfying the following: a) a molecular weight distribution curve by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) has a unimodal shape; b) molecular weight distribution (PDI: MWD) is 1.00 or more and less than 1.70; c) cold flow is 1.00 or less; and d) the Si content is 100 ppm or more based on a total weight of the modified conjugated diene-based polymer.

The present invention relates to a modified conjugated diene-based polymer and a rubber composition including the same, and provides a modified conjugated diene-based polymer satisfying the following: a) a molecular weight distribution curve by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) has a unimodal shape; b) molecular weight distribution (PDI: MWD) is 1.00 or more and less than 1.70; c) cold flow is 1.00 or less; and d) the Si content is 100 ppm or more based on a total weight of the modified conjugated diene-based polymer.

Disclosed herein are polysaccharide-elastomer masterbatch compositions and processes for preparing the masterbatch compositions. One method comprises a step of a) mixing i) an aqueous polysaccharide dispersion, or ii) a basic aqueous polysaccharide solution, with a rubber latex solution containing a rubber component to form a mixture. The method further comprises the steps of: b) coagulating the mixture obtained in step a) to produce a coagulated mass; and c) drying the coagulated mass obtained in step b). The masterbatch compositions are useful in preparing rubber-containing articles.