Patent ID: 6667353
Filing Date: 2003-12-23
Classification: B60C,C08K,Y10S,Y10T

Abstract:
A rubber composition comprised of(A) 100 parts by weight of at least one diene-based elastomer selected from polymers of isoprene and/or 1,3-butadiene and copolymers of isoprene and/or 1,3-butadiene with styrene; (B) about 30 to about 110 phr of reinforcing filler composed of (i) a carbon black composite containing integral silica on the surface thereof or (ii) about 30 to about 100 phr of said carbon black composite and at least one of (a) about 10 to about 80 phr of at least one of classical rubber reinforcing carbon black and precipitated silica; wherein said carbon black composite is prepared by co-precipitating carbon black and silica from a dispersion of carbon black in sodium silicate to provide integral silica domains on the outer surface of the carbon black; wherein said silica domains of said carbon black composite and said precipitated silica contain silanol groups on the surface thereof wherein said carbon black of said carbon black composite and said classical carbon black contain hydroxyl groups on the surface thereof; wherein the silicon to carbon ratio of said carbon black composite is in a range of about 0.1/1 to about 0.9/1, and wherein said carbon black composite is further functionalized by reacting it with a trialkoxy silane of the formula (OR)3SiRâ€², where R is selected from methyl, ethyl and propyl radicals and Râ€² is selected from hexyl, octyl, dodecyl, hexadecyl and octadecyl radicals, and (C) at least one coupling agent having a moiety reactive with the said silanol groups and said hydroxyl groups and another moiety interactive with at least one of said diene-based elastomers.