Patent ID: 9162530
Filing Date: 2015-10-20
Classification: B60C,C08K

Abstract:
1. A tire with a circumferential rubber tread of a rubber composition which comprises, based upon parts by weight per 100 parts by weight rubber (phr): (A) 100 phr of at least one diene-based elastomer, (B) rubber reinforcing filler comprised of precipitated silica, together with silica coupler for the precipitated silica having a moiety reactive with hydroxyl groups on the precipitated silica and another, different, moiety interactive with said diene-based elastomer(s), (C) about 0.5 to about 30 phr of carbon nanotubes having an average diameter in a range of from about 5 to about 20 nanometers and an L/D dimensional ratio in a range of from about 100 to about 1000; wherein said tread rubber composition contains less than 30 phr of rubber reinforcing carbon black, and wherein the carbon nanotubes are functionalized with a carbon nanotube coupler having moiety containing a pi electron network, wherein said carbon nanotube coupler is comprised of a compound having a chemical structure represented by Chemical Structures (1), (2) and (3), namely: (D) Chemical Structure (1) where A represents the backbone of the carbon nanotube coupler, which is a low molecular weight polymer of polyaryleneethynylene, including but not limited to, the following polymers, poly(phenylene ethynylene), poly(thiophene ethynylene), and poly(fluorene ethynylene), where B represents optional side chains attached to the coupler backbone A as a compatibilizer to diene-based elastomer containing rubber composition comprised of at least one alkane hydrocarbon group containing from 6 to 20 carbon atoms, and where C is a polysulfide end functional group, containing an average of from 2 to about 4 connecting sulfur atoms: (E) Chemical Structure (2) where D represents a pyrene structure which can stack to the carbon nanotube surface by pi-pi interaction, where E represents a polysulfide moiety containing an average of 2 to about 4 sulfur atoms which can react with the diene-based elastomer(s); (F) Chemical Structure (3) where D represents a pyrene structure, where R