Provided is a rubber composition which contains a diene rubber and a reinforcing filler, and the diene rubber contains a styrene-butadiene copolymer component including at least one type of styrene-butadiene copolymer and satisfying the following requirements: (1) the bonded styrene content is from 5 to 50 wt. %; (2) among components obtained by ozone decomposition, a content of a decomposed component V1 containing one 1,2-bonded butadiene-derived unit out of a total of 100 mol % of decomposed components containing styrene-derived units and/or 1,2-bonded butadiene-derived units is not less than 25 mol %; (3) among components obtained by ozone decomposition, a content of a decomposed component S2V1 containing two styrene-derived units and one 1,2-bonded butadiene-derived unit out of a total of 100 mol % of decomposed components containing styrene-derived units and/or 1,2-bonded butadiene-derived units is less than 5 mol %; and (4) a vinyl content of a butadiene moiety is not less than 50%.

A rubber composition contains a diene rubber and a reinforcing filler, and the diene rubber contains a styrene-butadiene copolymer component including at least one type of styrene-butadiene copolymer and satisfying the following: (1) the bonded styrene content is from 5 to 50 wt. %; (2) among components obtained by ozone decomposition, the content of a decomposed component V1 containing one 1,2-bonded butadiene-derived unit out of the total of 100 mol % of decomposed components containing styrene-derived units and/or 1,2-bonded butadiene-derived units is less than 20 mol %; (3) among components obtained by ozone decomposition, the content of a decomposed component S2V1 containing two styrene-derived units and one 1,2-bonded butadiene-derived unit out of the total of 100 mol % of decomposed components containing styrene-derived units and/or 1,2-bonded butadiene-derived units is not less than 4 mol %; and (4) the vinyl content of a butadiene moiety is not less than 20% and less than 50%.

A method for photo-hardening a silicone rubber surface, the method comprising a step (A) in which a surface of a molded silicone rubber is irradiated using, for example, a xenon excimer lamp with vacuum ultraviolet light having a wavelength of 200 nm or less at an irradiation energy in the range of 10-3,000 mJ/cm.sup.2, thereby forming an oxide layer in the irradiated portion by photooxidation and thus hardening the portion. According to the method, it is possible to harden the surface of the silicon rubber into a wear-resistant surface without causing a change in gloss and while keeping the rubbery feeling intact. It is also possible to improve the oil infiltration resistance of the rubber.

A method for photo-hardening a silicone rubber surface, the method comprising a step (A) in which a surface of a molded silicone rubber is irradiated using, for example, a xenon excimer lamp with vacuum ultraviolet light having a wavelength of 200 nm or less at an irradiation energy in the range of 10-3,000 mJ/cm.sup.2, thereby forming an oxide layer in the irradiated portion by photooxidation and thus hardening the portion. According to the method, it is possible to harden the surface of the silicon rubber into a wear-resistant surface without causing a change in gloss and while keeping the rubbery feeling intact. It is also possible to improve the oil infiltration resistance of the rubber.

A low viscosity polymer having a linear or branched backbone derived from farnesene monomers and at least one terminal-end functionalized with a hydroxyl group. This polymer may be further hydrogenated to reduce unsaturation and acrylated, such that it may be incorporated into a LOCA composition. The LOCA composition may be used in a laminated screen assembly, such as a touch screen, for electronic devices by adhering the LOCA composition between an optically transparent layer, such as a cover glass, and a display. The cured LOCA composition has a refractive index similar to the optically transparent layer. A method of making the low viscosity polymer for the LOCA composition includes anionically polymerizing farnesene monomers, quenching a living end of the polymer to provide the hydroxyl-terminated polymer; hydrogenating the hydroxyl-terminated polymer; and reacting the at least partially saturated hydroxyl-terminated polymer with at least one reagent to provide an acrylate terminated hydrogenated polymer.

A low viscosity polymer having a linear or branched backbone derived from farnesene monomers and at least one terminal-end functionalized with a hydroxyl group. This polymer may be further hydrogenated to reduce unsaturation and acrylated, such that it may be incorporated into a LOCA composition. The LOCA composition may be used in a laminated screen assembly, such as a touch screen, for electronic devices by adhering the LOCA composition between an optically transparent layer, such as a cover glass, and a display. The cured LOCA composition has a refractive index similar to the optically transparent layer. A method of making the low viscosity polymer for the LOCA composition includes anionically polymerizing farnesene monomers, quenching a living end of the polymer to provide the hydroxyl-terminated polymer; hydrogenating the hydroxyl-terminated polymer; and reacting the at least partially saturated hydroxyl-terminated polymer with at least one reagent to provide an acrylate terminated hydrogenated polymer.

A modified polymer is obtained by grafting at least one compound of formula (I) to at least one unsaturation of the chain of an initial polymer ##STR00001##
in which Q represents a dipole comprising at least one nitrogen atom; A represents an arenediyl ring, optionally substituted by one or more hydrocarbon-based chains, which are identical or different, independent of one another, and are optionally substituted or interrupted by one or more heteroatoms; E represents a divalent hydrocarbon-based bonding group which may optionally contain one or more heteroatoms; R.sub.1, R.sub.2 and R.sub.3 represent, independently of one another, a hydrogen atom or a hydrocarbon-based chain which is optionally substituted or interrupted by one or more heteroatoms; and n is an integer having a value greater than or equal to 1.

It is a modification apparatus (1) of a resin film (6) for making the surface of the resin film (6) hydrophilic. The modification apparatus (1) has a chamber (2), an unsaturated hydrocarbon supply device (3), and an ozone generating device (4). In the chamber (2), there are provided a supply roll (7) onto which the resin film (6) is previously wound, a take-up roll (8), and a shower head (10). While the resin film (6) wound onto the supply roll (7) is wound onto the take-up roll (8), a high-concentration ozone gas and an unsaturated hydrocarbon gas are supplied to the surface of the resin film (6) moving between the supply roll (7) and the take-up roll (8).

It is a modification apparatus (1) of a resin film (6) for making the surface of the resin film (6) hydrophilic. The modification apparatus (1) has a chamber (2), an unsaturated hydrocarbon supply device (3), and an ozone generating device (4). In the chamber (2), there are provided a supply roll (7) onto which the resin film (6) is previously wound, a take-up roll (8), and a shower head (10). While the resin film (6) wound onto the supply roll (7) is wound onto the take-up roll (8), a high-concentration ozone gas and an unsaturated hydrocarbon gas are supplied to the surface of the resin film (6) moving between the supply roll (7) and the take-up roll (8).

The tire has a radial carcass reinforcement and a crown reinforcement containing at least two working crown layers of reinforcing elements. The working crown layers are covered radially with a tread that is joined to two beads via two sidewalls. The relative density of sulfur bridges measured according to the equilibrium swelling method is less than 5% in at least 30% of the elastomer compounds present in the surface of at least one zone S in a meridian plane. The elastomer compounds are compositions based on at least one diene elastomer selected from the group of diene elastomers consisting of polybutadienes (abbreviated to BRs), synthetic polyisoprenes (IRs), natural rubber (NR), isoprene copolymers, butadiene copolymers with the exception of butadiene-nitrile copolymers (NBRs), apart from diene elastomers bearing carboxyl functions, and mixtures of these diene elastomers.