Patent ID: 7534839

Claim:
A vulcanizate comprising: a vulcanized rubber formulation comprising at least one vulcanized rubber and a filler, where the at least one vulcanized rubber includes a vulcanizate of a sequentially functionalized polymer that is prepared by reacting an anionically polymerized living polymer with a functionalizing agent X′ to produce an end-functionalized polymer that will react or interact with carbon black, silica, or both and that comprises a reactive electrophilic or nucleophilic site; and reacting the reactive site with a functionalizing agent Y′ to produce a sequentially functionalized polymer that will react or interact with carbon black and silica, where Y′ is (i) an isocyanato alkoxy silane compound selected from the group consisting of gamma-isocyanatopropyl-triethoxysilane, gamma-isothiocyanatopropyl-triethoxysilane, gamma-isocyanatopropyl-trimethoxysilane, and gamma-isothiocyanatopropyl-trimethoxysilane (ii) an epoxy-generating reagent selected from the group consisting of epichlorohydrin, epibromohydrin, a multi-epoxidized high-vinyl polybutadiene, a multi-epoxidized high-vinyl oligo-butadiene, a multi-epoxidized high-vinyl polyisoprene, and a multi-epoxidized high-vinyl oligo-isoprene, (iii) a short-chain polymer group, (iv) triethoxysilyl propyl chloride, (v) diethoxymethylsilyl propyl chloride, (vi) N,N-diethyl amino carbamyl chloride, or (vii) 1-(3-bromopropyl)-2,2,5,5-tetramethyl-1-aza-2,5-disilacyclopentane.