Halogenated butyl rubbers are provided comprising lignins and co-reinforcing agents, where the ratio of the lignin to the co-reinforcing agent is selected so as to effectively modulate advantageous properties of the vulcanizate. The advantageous properties are achieved when using a ratio of lignin to the co-reinforcing agent, such as carbon black or silica, that is higher than in a reference vulcanizate, in effect the substitution of lignin for conventional reinforcing agents improves the reinforcement of the vulcanizates.

The present invention is directed to a method of making a functionalized elastomer, comprising the step of polymerizing a conjugated diene monomer in the presence of a lanthanide-based coordination polymerization catalyst activated with a functionalized aluminum reagent of formula 1 ##STR00001##
where R is a linear or branched alkane group containing 1 to 8 carbon atoms, and R.sup.1 is phenylene, or a linear or branched alkane diyl group containing 2 to 10 carbon atoms, or a combination of one or more phenylene groups and one or more linear or branched alkane diyl groups containing 1 to 10 carbon atoms; Q is of formula 2 ##STR00002##
where R.sup.5, R.sup.6 and R.sup.7 are independently a linear or branched alkyl group containing 1 to 3 carbon atoms or a group of formula 3 ##STR00003##
where R3 and R4 are independently phenyl or a linear or branched alkyl group containing 1 to 10 carbon atoms, or R3 and R4 taken together with the nitrogen atom represent a nitrogen containing heterocyclic group containing from 4 to 12 carbon atoms; or R.sup.5, R.sup.6 and R.sup.7 taken together with the silicon atom represent a structure of formula 4 ##STR00004##
where R.sup.8 is C1 to C4 linear or branched alkanediyl and Z is N or a group of formula 5 ##STR00005##
wherein R.sup.13 is C1 to C8 alkyl.

A rubber compound for body ply skim comprising: —a mix of rubber consisting of (i) Epoxidized Natural Rubber acting as polymer base with a cross-linkable unsaturated chain; (ii) Natural Rubber acting as polymer base with a cross-linkable unsaturated chain; (iii) Polyepihalohydrin rubber, —a filler material, and—a vulcanization system; The compound comprises: 70 to 90 phr of said Polyepihalohydrin rubber; 5 to 25 phr of said Epoxidized Natural Rubber (E-NR); and 5 to 25 phr of said Natural Rubber (NR); the phr ratio between E-NR and NR ranging from 0.2 to 5.0.

Disclosed herein are a process for preparing a modified high-cis polybutadiene polymer, a modified high-cis polybutadiene polymer, and tire components made using the modified high-cis polybutadiene polymer. The processes make use of a functionalizing compound of formula (I) to prepare the modified high-cis polybutadiene from a quantity of 1,3-butadiene monomer using a specified catalyst system.

The present disclosure relates to a method and manufacturing method for a tire tread composition having absorption properties with high electric conductivity and excellent wear resistance. Specifically, the present disclosure relates to the fabrication of a tire composition to be used as a non-pneumatic tire, the tire composition can be used as a mobile electrode with a water supply means that can identify the location of defects in the buried conductor using the tire electrode manufacturing with improved conductivity and contact resistance with the ground even though the tire compound has wear resistance by lowering the water swelling rate compared to the previous technology.

The present invention relates to a modified polymer having the structure of Formula (I) and Formula (IV): ##STR00001## wherein A, ##STR00002##
R.sup.1, R.sup.2, R.sup.3, a, and n are as described herein and ##STR00003## wherein ##STR00004##
R, R′, R″, x, and k are as described herein and methods for preparation thereof. The present invention also relates to a compound having the structure of Formula (II): ##STR00005## wherein A, R.sup.1, R.sup.2, R.sup.3, a, and n are as described herein. The present invention also relates to a process for polymerizing unsaturated hydrocarbon monomers.

Conveyor belts having a reinforcement layer, a carry cover layer above the reinforcement layer, and a pulley cover layer disposed beneath the reinforcement layer, where the carry cover layer includes least one hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber (HNBR) material. The HNBR material(s) may have a percentage of hydrogenation of from about 90% to about 96%, from about 92% to about 95%, or even about 94%. The carry cover layer may be from about 4 mm to about 6 mm thick, or even from about 4 mm to about 5 mm thick. In some cases, the reinforcement layer includes a rubber matrix, which may be formed of a nitrile rubber (NBR), or mixture of nitrile NBR and natural rubber blended in a NBR:NR weight ratio of from 3:1 to 9:1. In some aspects, the reinforcement layer includes a plurality of reinforcement plies embedded in the rubber matrix.

Metallated aminosilane compounds for use as functional initiators in anionic polymerizations and processes for producing an aminosilane-functionalized polymer using the metallated aminosilane compounds to initiate anionic polymerization of at least one type of anionically polymerizable monomer. Preferred use of the metallated aminosilane compounds results in rubber compositions for use in tires comprising an aminosilane functionalized polymer.

##STR00001##

The invention relates to aminosilyl-functionalized conjugated dienes, their preparation and their use in the production of rubbers. Further, the invention relates to rubbers and rubber compositions, and tires produced therefrom. The functionalized conjugated dienes are selected from the group of compounds of formula (IIia), (Nib), (IIIc)

A method for preparing a functionalized polymer, the method comprising the steps of (i) polymerizing monomer to form a reactive polymer, and (ii) reacting the reactive polymer with an imine compound containing a cyano group.