The present invention is directed to a benzoxazine-functionalized diene-based elastomer comprising polymer chains including repeat units which include conjugated diolefin monomers, such as 1,3-butadiene and isoprene. Additionally, said elastomer comprises at least one benzoxazine connected to a polymer chain via a spacer, wherein the spacer has a length ranging from 3 to 8 atoms. A further aspect of the present invention is directed to a rubber composition comprising such an elastomer, an article of manufacture comprising this rubber composition, and a method of making said benzoxazine-functionalized diene-based elastomer.

The introduction of graphene as an additive in rubber compounds is disclosed. The product shows increased barrier protection for tire innerliners, with no tradeoffs in other characteristics.

The invention relates to a rubber composition comprising a rubber component that comprises at least one halobutyl rubber selected from the group consisting of bromobutyl rubber and chlorobutyl rubber; and a filler component that comprises at least one filler F1 which has a .sup.14C content in the range of 0.20 to 0.45 Bq/g of carbon; a carbon content in the range of 60 wt. % to 85 wt. % relative to the ash-free and water-free filler; an STSA surface area in the range of 10 m.sup.2/g of filler to 50 m.sup.2/g of filler; and acidic hydroxyl groups on its surface; and wherein the proportion of halobutyl rubber in the rubber composition is 70 to 100 phr. The invention further relates to a vulcanisable and a vulcanised rubber composition based on the aforementioned rubber composition, a kit of parts for preparing the vulcanisable rubber composition, and methods for preparing the rubber composition and the vulcanisable rubber composition. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for further processing the vulcanisable rubber composition, wherein webs are formed which are suitable, when cut to size, for use as inner liners in a method for manufacturing a pneumatic tyre. The invention also relates to the use of the aforementioned hydrothermally carbonised lignin for the preparation of rubber compositions for inner liners.

Provided are a rubber composition for tires that provides improved silica dispersion and fuel economy while maintaining good hardness, and a pneumatic tire including the rubber composition. The present invention relates to a rubber composition for tires, containing a rubber component, silica, and a silica dispersing agent represented by the following formula (I). ##STR00001##

The rubber composition comprises at least one resin based: (A1) on at least one aromatic compound comprising at least one aromatic ring bearing at least two functional groups, one of these functional groups being a hydroxymethyl functional group and the other being an aldehyde functional group or a hydroxymethyl functional group; and (A2) on at least one phenolic compound chosen from (A21) at least one aromatic polyphenol comprising at least one aromatic ring bearing at least two hydroxyl functional groups in the meta position with respect to one another, the two positions ortho to at least one of the hydroxyl functional groups being unsubstituted; and/or (A22) at least one aromatic monophenol comprising at least one six-membered aromatic ring bearing a single hydroxyl functional group, the two positions ortho to the hydroxyl functional group being unsubstituted or at least one position ortho to and the position para to the hydroxyl functional group being unsubstituted; and their mixtures.

An aircraft tire component is disclosed herein, including natural rubber, a peptizer, carbon black, graphene, wherein the graphene has a thickness of less than about 3.2 nm, a particle size of between about 50 nm and about 10 μm, and contains greater than about 95% carbon, aliphatic hydrocarbon resin, treated distillate aromatic extract, N-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N′-phenyl-1,4-benzenediamine, 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,2-dihydroquinoline, paraffinic wax, microcrystalline wax, zinc oxide, stearic acid, N-tert-butyl-benzothiazole sulfonamide, sulfur, and pre vulcanization inhibitor, wherein the aircraft tire component is chosen from the group consisting of a tread, an inner liner, and a sidewall.

Disclosed herein are graft polymers having a copolymer backbone and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon branches for use as a nanofiller dispersant and methods for making the same. Also disclosed are elastomeric nanocomposite compositions comprising a halobutyl rubber matrix, nanoparticles of graphite or grapheme, and the graft polymer. Such elastomeric nanocomposite compositions are suitable as tire innerliners or innertubes.

A coated wire includes a steel alloy coated with a coating comprising one or more amino alkoxy-modified silsesquioxane compounds selected from the group consisting of an amino alkoxy-modified silsesquioxane, an amino/mercaptan co-alkoxy-modified silsesquioxane, an amino/blocked mercaptan co-alkoxy-modified silsesquioxane, or a salt of one or more thereof. A rubber composition and a process for coating wire is also disclosed.

A method of preparing a green tire innerliner, the method comprising mixing one or more vulcanizable rubbery polymers, less than 0.75 parts by weight zinc oxide, less than 0.75 parts by weight magnesium oxide, and less than 0.75 parts by weight sulfur, per 100 parts by weight rubber, to form a vulcanizable mixture and extruding the mixture to form a green tire innerliner.

Methods for treating the surface of a cured inner liner are disclosed. By use of these methods a treated, cured inner liner is produced which has a lower surface with increased adherability to other materials (e.g., adhesives). Treated, cured inner liners resulting from such methods as well as tires containing the treated inner liners.