A modified diene polymer is obtained by decomposing a diene polymer having a carbon-carbon double bond in a main chain by oxidative cleavage of the carbon-carbon double bond to reduce a molecular weight, changing acido-basic properties of a system containing polymer fragments obtained such that the system is changed into a basic system when the system is acidic and the system is changed into an acidic system when the system is basic to combine the polymer fragments, thereby obtaining an intermediate polymer having an altered structure, and epoxidizing a carbon-carbon double bond moiety of a main chain of the intermediate polymer.

Disclosed are new precursors of recyclable cross-linked diene elastomers including chain-end units with furanyl groups, their use in the preparation of the recyclable elastomers and their process of preparation. Also disclosed are new recyclable cross-linked diene elastomers, their preparation process and their uses.

A curative for epoxidized plant-based oils and epoxidized natural rubber is created from the reaction between a naturally occurring polyfunctional acid and an epoxidized plant-based oil is disclosed. The curative may be used to produce at least one of six different materials, wherein each type of material may be configured as a thermosetting elastomer that is crosslinked with β-hydroxyester linkages. The materials may be configured as a leather-like material, a foam material, a molded elastomer, a coating, an adhesive, and/or a rigid or semi-rigid material. Illustrative articles made from any combination of the six materials may be recycled using a mechano-chemical process to de-crosslink the thermosetting elastomer.

A curative for epoxidized plant-based oils and epoxidized natural rubber is created from the reaction between a naturally occurring polyfunctional acid and an epoxidized plant-based oil is disclosed. The curative may be used to produce at least one of six different materials, wherein each type of material may be configured as a thermosetting elastomer that is crosslinked with β-hydroxyester linkages. The materials may be configured as a leather-like material, a foam material, a molded elastomer, a coating, an adhesive, and/or a rigid or semi-rigid material. Illustrative articles made from any combination of the six materials may be recycled using a mechano-chemical process to de-crosslink the thermosetting elastomer.

The present invention concerns block and/or tapered block copolymers comprising pendant hydrocarbyl, trisubstituted epoxide-containing moieties, and methods of preparing these and their precursors. The invention also concerns curable compositions comprising such copolymers as modified solution styrene butadiene rubbers and silica and/or carbon black and articles formed from curing these formulations. Such articles may be tyres.

A fluororubber composition contains 0.1 to 50 parts by weight of an epoxidized polybutadiene with respect to 100 parts by weight of a fluororubber. As the fluororubber, a vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene copolymer (FKM), a tetrafluoroethylene-propylene-based copolymer (FEPM), a tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether-based copolymer (FFKM), or the like is exemplified. The fluororubber composition may further contain a vulcanizing agent or the like.

A thermoset material containing β-hydroxyesters wherein said thermoset material is subject to a mechano-chemical process to regenerate an epoxide and a carboxylic acid functionality. A curative for epoxidized plant-based oils and epoxidized natural rubber is created from the reaction between a naturally occurring polyfunctional acid and an epoxidized plant-based oil is disclosed. The curative may be used to produce porosity-free castable resins and vulcanize rubber formulations based on epoxidized natural rubber. Materials made from disclosed materials may be advantageously used as leather substitutes.

A thermoset material containing β-hydroxyesters wherein said thermoset material is subject to a mechano-chemical process to regenerate an epoxide and a carboxylic acid functionality. A curative for epoxidized plant-based oils and epoxidized natural rubber is created from the reaction between a naturally occurring polyfunctional acid and an epoxidized plant-based oil is disclosed. The curative may be used to produce porosity-free castable resins and vulcanize rubber formulations based on epoxidized natural rubber. Materials made from disclosed materials may be advantageously used as leather substitutes.

A coating created entirely from plant-derived ingredients is disclosed. Illustrative embodiments of the coating may be particularly well suited for use on leather-like materials created from epoxidized natural rubber-based formulations. Illustrative embodiments of the coating created may be comprised of substantially the reaction product between epoxidized vegetable oil and a polyfunctional naturally occurring acid (such as citric acid). Illustrative embodiments this reaction product may be used to produce porosity-free castable resins and vulcanize rubber formulations based on epoxidized natural rubber. Materials made from disclosed materials may be advantageously used as leather substitutes.

A coating created entirely from plant-derived ingredients is disclosed. Illustrative embodiments of the coating may be particularly well suited for use on leather-like materials created from epoxidized natural rubber-based formulations. Illustrative embodiments of the coating created may be comprised of substantially the reaction product between epoxidized vegetable oil and a polyfunctional naturally occurring acid (such as citric acid). Illustrative embodiments this reaction product may be used to produce porosity-free castable resins and vulcanize rubber formulations based on epoxidized natural rubber. Materials made from disclosed materials may be advantageously used as leather substitutes.