Disclosed herein are phosphino- and phosphate-silane functionalized polymers, methods of preparing a reactive polymer functionalized with an alkoxysilane having a phosphorous-containing group as a functionalizing reagent, the resulting polymer and vulcanizates thereof. The vulcanizates of the functionalized polymers can be used to produce vulcanized products, including tires.

A resin-extended modified diene elastomer is based on a plasticizing resin and a diene elastomer having a number-average molar mass before modification Mn1 and a number-average molar mass Mn2 after modification, Mn1 and Mn2 being measured by triple detection size exclusion chromatography, the modified diene elastomer comprising branched chains corresponding to the following general formula (I)

##STR00001##

the modified diene elastomer having an Mn2 of greater than or equal to 200 000 g/mol and has an Mn2/Mn1 ratio of strictly greater than 1.00.

A resin-extended modified diene elastomer is based on a plasticizing resin and a diene elastomer having a number-average molar mass before modification Mn1 and a number-average molar mass Mn2 after modification, Mn1 and Mn2 being measured by triple detection size exclusion chromatography, the modified diene elastomer comprising branched chains corresponding to the following general formula (I)

##STR00001##

the modified diene elastomer having an Mn2 of greater than or equal to 200 000 g/mol and has an Mn2/Mn1 ratio of strictly greater than 1.00.

The invention relates to a process for the synthesis of a polymer bearing one or more pendant hydroxyaryl groups, comprising the reaction of a polymer bearing at least one epoxide functional group with a nucleophilic compound simultaneously bearing the hydroxyaryl group and a nucleophilic functional group selected from the group consisting of the phosphonic acid functional group and its ionic form.

The invention relates to a process for the synthesis of a polymer bearing one or more pendant hydroxyaryl groups, comprising the reaction of a polymer bearing at least one epoxide functional group with a nucleophilic compound simultaneously bearing the hydroxyaryl group and a nucleophilic functional group selected from the group consisting of the phosphonic acid functional group and its ionic form.

A polymer composition is provided with a multi-modal molecular weight distribution of a halo-containing polymer. The halo-containing polymer is has multi-functional phosphine linkages at less than 10% of halo sites of the halo-containing mer that were available before multi-functional phosphine linking. A process for producing a polymer composition having a multi-modal molecular weight distribution involves dispersing a multi-functional phosphine compound in a halo-containing polymer, the halo-containing polymer comprising a total number of available halo sites, and reacting the multi-functional phosphine compound with the halo-containing polymer at an elevated temperature to produce the polymer composition in which less than 10% of the total number of available halo sites are reacted with the phosphine compound to provide multi-functional phosphine linkages in the halo-containing compound.

A polymer composition is provided with a multi-modal molecular weight distribution of a halo-containing polymer. The halo-containing polymer is has multi-functional phosphine linkages at less than 10% of halo sites of the halo-containing mer that were available before multi-functional phosphine linking. A process for producing a polymer composition having a multi-modal molecular weight distribution involves dispersing a multi-functional phosphine compound in a halo-containing polymer, the halo-containing polymer comprising a total number of available halo sites, and reacting the multi-functional phosphine compound with the halo-containing polymer at an elevated temperature to produce the polymer composition in which less than 10% of the total number of available halo sites are reacted with the phosphine compound to provide multi-functional phosphine linkages in the halo-containing compound.

In an example, a process includes polymerizing a mixture that includes an ethylene monomer, a propylene monomer, and a diene monomer to form an ethylene-propylene-diene (EPDM) terpolymer using ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP). The process further includes chemically reacting the EPDM terpolymer with a norbornene-based phosphinate cross-linking material to form a flame-retardant, cross-linked EPDM rubber.

In an example, a process includes polymerizing a mixture that includes an ethylene monomer, a propylene monomer, and a diene monomer to form an ethylene-propylene-diene (EPDM) terpolymer using ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP). The process further includes chemically reacting the EPDM terpolymer with a norbornene-based phosphinate cross-linking material to form a flame-retardant, cross-linked EPDM rubber.

A flame retardant composition and a method of making a flame retardant composition is provided. In an embodiment, the method includes reacting a phosphazene material with an acrylamide monomer material to form a functionalized phosphazene material; initiating a polymerization reaction on a reaction mixture comprising a functionalized phosphazene material and one or more monomers to form a first impact-modified phosphazene material; and reacting the first impact-modified phosphazene material with a poly(dichlorophosphazene) monomer material, and a reactant selected from the group consisting of R.sup.1OH, HNR.sup.2R.sup.3, or a combination thereof, to form a second impact-modified phosphazene material.