Abstract: Continuous processes for producing a coated steel wire are provided. The processes entail wetting steel wire in an aqueous solution comprising at least 95% water and 0.01 to 5% weight/weight of the carboxylic acid salt of an alkoxy modified silsesquioxane of formula (I), evaporating water from the wet coated steel wire to form a mostly-dry coated steel wire and then heating (one or more steps) the mostly-dry coated steel wire at a temperature of 50-240° C. such that the steel wire reaches a minimum temperature of at least 110° C. in at least one step, thereby forming a dry coated steel wire. The coated steel wire is optionally covered with rubber skim or otherwise embedded into rubber and can be incorporated into various objects including tires, conveyor belts, hoses and the like. The silsesquioxane coating improves adhesion between the steel wire and the rubber skim/other rubber covering.

Abstract: A rubber composition includes an elastomer having an elongation at break (Eb) of about 50% or more according to ASTM-D 412 at 25° C., a water-insoluble keratin, and a reinforcing filler. A tire component including the composition and a method for making the composition are also disclosed.

Abstract: A method for preparing a coupled polymer, the method comprising the steps of: (i) polymerizing monomer to form a reactive polymer; (ii) reacting the reactive polymer with a polyisocyanate having a functionality of X to form an intermediate polymer product; and (iii) reacting the intermediate polymer product with a polyol having a functionality of Y to form the coupled polymer product, where X+Y?5.

Abstract: An adhesive includes a polymeric latex, a penetrant selected from the group consisting of: terpenes, polylimonene, limonene, carvone, a-pinene, citral, dipentene, 1,8-cineole, eucalyptol, citronellol, geraniol, citronellene, terpinen-4-ol, borneol, camphor, guayule resin, and combinations thereof; and a reinforcing filler. The adhesive has a solids content of 35-65% and a pH of 9 to 12. Articles of manufacture, such as tires and air springs incorporate the adhesive to join rubber interfaces. A method of making the adhesive is also is provided.

Abstract: A rubber composition includes an elastomer having an elongation at break (Eb) of about 50% or more according to ASTM-D 412 at 25° C., a water-insoluble keratin, and a reinforcing filler. A tire component including the composition and a method for making the composition are also disclosed.

Abstract: A process for preparing a copolymer including one or more phosphorus-containing mer units, the process comprising anionically polymerizing conjugated diene monomer, vinyl organophosphine monomer, and optionally monomer copolymerizable therewith.

Abstract: A method is presented for making alkoxy-modified silsesquioxanes (AMS) or co-alkoxy-modified silsesquioxanes (co-AMS,) comprising the steps of (a) combining as a reaction mixture (i) water, (ii) an acid-stable solvent for the water, (iii) a solid strong cationic hydrolysis and condensation catalyst, and (iv) a trialkoxysilane compound, (b) allowing the reaction mixture to react for about 0.5 hours to about 200 hours to form the alkoxy-modified silsesquioxanes; and (c) recovering the alkoxy-modified silsesquioxanes from the reaction mixture. The use of solid strong cationic catalysts in this reaction system is advantageous because they remain as solids throughout the reaction, allowing simplified separation of the solid catalyst from the soluble AMS or co-AMS products, resulting in total or near total recovery of the AMS or co-AMS products, the products being free of, or substantially free of residual acid catalyst, as well as virtual total recovery of the catalyst for recycling.

Abstract: An amino alkoxy-modified silsesquioxane (AMS) comprising one or more compounds selected from the group consisting of an amino AMS, an amino/mercaptan co-AMS, an amino/blocked mercaptan co-AMS, mixtures thereof, and a weak acid-neutralized solid or aqueous solution thereof, and a method of making the amino AMS, are presented. The compounds are useful in compounding, processing, cure and storage of silica-reinforced rubbers because they contain low levels of volatile organic compounds (VOC).

Abstract: Amino alkoxy-modified silsesquioxanes (amino AMS), and/or amino co-AMS compounds that also comprise a mercaptosilane or a blocked mercaptosilane, are excellent adhesives for coating plated or unplated metal wire for adherence of the wire to a rubber stock. The amino AMS and/or the amino/mercaptan co-AMS adhesives can be used with all types of rubber and there is no requirement for the use of special adhesive additives to the rubber vulcanizates, such as, but not limited to, cobalt, resins and high sulfur levels. In particular, the use of amino AMS and/or amino/mercaptan co-AMS compounds as adhesives for bonding wire to rubber also improves the adherence performance of the reinforcements to obtain sufficient bonding that is resistant to degradation over the course of time, especially resistance to thermal aging and/or thermo-oxidizing aging, in particular corrosion in the presence of water.

Abstract: Polymer-filler coupling compounds with the formula B-A-Sx—N are claimed. In these compounds, B is an azaheterocyclic oxygen or sulfur containing moiety, or an allyltin moiety; Sx is a polysulfide, where x is between 2 and about 10; A is a linking atom or group that forms a bridge between B and Sx; and N is a blocking group. Sx can be a disulfide. N can be a conventional blocking group or other group such as -A-B. Methods for using the polymer-filler coupling compounds to modify polymers containing unsaturated carbon-carbon bonds and promote filler dispersion are also claimed. Additionally, vulcanizable rubber compositions containing the polymer-filler coupling compounds and methods for making vulcanized rubber compositions using the polymer-filler coupling compounds are also claimed.

Abstract: A method for preparing a functionalized polymer, the method comprising providing a reactive polymer, where the reactive polymer includes an oxygen anion, a sulfur anion, or a nitrogen anion, reacting the reactive polymer with carbon disulfide to form a polymer including a dithio carboxyl group, and reacting the polymer including the dithio carboxyl group with a blocking agent.

Abstract: Amino alkoxy-modified silsesquioxanes (amino AMS), and/or amino co-AMS compounds that also comprise a mercaptosilane or a blocked mercaptosilane, are excellent adhesives for coating plated or unplated metal wire for adherence of the wire to a rubber stock. The amino AMS and/or the amino/mercaptan co-AMS adhesives can be used with all types of rubber and there is no requirement for the use of special adhesive additives to the rubber vulcanizates, such as, but not limited to, cobalt, resins and high sulfur levels. In particular, the use of amino AMS and/or amino/mercaptan co-AMS compounds as adhesives for bonding wire to rubber also improves the adherence performance of the reinforcements to obtain sufficient bonding that is resistant to degradation over the course of time, especially resistance to thermal aging and/or thermo-oxidizing aging, in particular corrosion in the presence of water.

Abstract: A method for preparing a functionalized polymer, the method comprising providing a reactive polymer, where the reactive polymer includes an oxygen anion, a sulfur anion, or a nitrogen anion, reacting the reactive polymer with carbon disulfide to form a polymer including a dithio carboxyl group, and reacting the polymer including the dithio carboxyl group with a blocking agent.

Abstract: A method for determining the styrene microblock content of a copolymer sample, the method comprising: (i) pyrolyzing the copolymer sample to form polymer fragments of the polymer sample; (ii) analyzing the fragments to determine the relative amounts of styrene monomer fragments, styrene dimer fragments, and styrene trimer fragments, where the relative amounts of the fragments include the amount of any given fragment relative to the total of the monomer fragments, dimer fragments, and trimer fragments; and (iii) using the relative amounts of the styrene monomer fragments, styrene dimer fragments, and styrene trimer fragments to predict the polystyrene microblock content from a mathematical model that is based upon the relative styrene monomer fragments, relative styrene dimer fragments, relative styrene trimer fragments, and microblock content of a copolymer having known microblock content.

Abstract: An amino alkoxy-modified silsesquioxane (AMS) comprising one or more compounds selected from the group consisting of an amino AMS, an amino/mercaptan co-AMS, an amino/blocked mercaptan co-AMS, mixtures thereof, and a weak acid-neutralized solid or aqueous solution thereof, and a method of making the amino AMS, are presented. The compounds are useful in compounding, processing, cure and storage of silica-reinforced rubbers because they contain low levels of volatile organic compounds (VOC).

Abstract: The invention provides vulcanizable rubber compound having improved tensile mechanical and dynamic viscoelastic properties. The compounds are formed by mixing an elastomer, containing unsaturated carbon-carbon bonds in its molecular structure, with a reinforcing inorganic filler silica in the presence of an alkyl alkoxysilane and a non-sulfur coupling agent that binds to the rubber backbone with an “ene” linkage or a 1,3 dipolar addition linkage. In particular, the coupling agent and the alkyl alkoxysilane are present in the compound in a weight ratio of about 0.0001:1 to about 1:1.

Abstract: A method for preparing a functionalized polymer, the method comprising: polymerizing conjugated diene monomer, optionally together with comonomer, using a phosphorus-containing organometal initiator.

Abstract: A composition includes an elastomer and a ketoximo silane or a ketoxime additive.

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to tire rubber compositions containing at least one rubbery polymer (with 10 to 100 weight percent of monomer units derived from conjugated diene monomer having between 4 and 8 carbon atoms and 0 to 90 weight percent of monomer units derived from vinyl aromatic monomer); 0.5 to 100 phr of silica filler; 0.05 to 20 phr of a bi-functional silica coupling agent; and 1 to 30 phr of a non-elastomer reactive filler reinforcing agent capable of interacting with at least two silica particles. The bi-functional silica coupling agent and the filler reinforcing agent are utilized in a weight ratio of from 1:100 to 1:0.2. Also disclosed are methods for preparing the tire rubber compositions.

Abstract: The invention provides vulcanizable rubber compound having improved tensile mechanical and dynamic viscoelastic properties. The compounds are formed by mixing an elastomer, containing unsaturated carbon-carbon bonds in its molecular structure, with a reinforcing inorganic filler silica in the presence of an alkyl alkoxysilane and a non-sulfur coupling agent that binds to the rubber backbone with an “ene” linkage or a 1,3 dipolar addition linkage. In particular, the coupling agent and the alkyl alkoxysilane are present in the compound in a weight ratio of about 0.0001:1 to about 1:1.