Tire compositions and components containing blocked mercaptosilane coupling agent

1. A tire composition formed by combining at least:

a compound of formula 1:

[R k —Y—S(CH 2 ) n ] r -G-(CH 2 ) m —(SiX 1 X 2 X 3 )  (1)

wherein each occurrence of Y is a polyvalent species (Q) z A(=E), and wherein

the atom (A) attached to the unsaturated heteroatom (E) is attached to the sulfur, which in turn is linked via a group —(CH 2 ) n G(CH 2 ) m — to the silicon atom;

each occurrence of R is independently selected from hydrogen, straight, cyclic, or branched alkyl, alkenyl groups, aryl groups, and aralkyl groups, with each R containing up to 18 carbon atoms;

each occurrence of G is independently selected from a trivalent or polyvalent hydrocarbon group of 3 to 30 carbon atoms derived by substitution of alkane, alkene or aralkane or a trivalent or polyvalent heterocarbon group of 2 to 29 carbon atoms with the proviso that G contains a cyclic structure (ring);

each occurrence of X 1 is independently selected from any hydrolysable group of —Cl, —Br, R 1 O—, R 1 C(═O)O—, R 1 2 C═NO—, R 1 2 NO— or R 2 N—, wherein each R 1 is independently selected from hydrogen, alkyl, alkenyl, aryl or aralkyl groups with each R 1 containing up to about 18 carbon atoms;

each occurrence of X 2 and X 3 is independently selected from the members listed for R 1 and X 1 ;

each occurrence of Q is independently selected from oxygen, sulfur, and (—NR—);

each occurrence of A is independently selected from carbon, sulfur, phosphorus, and sulfonyl;

each occurrence of E is independently selected from oxygen, sulfur, and NR 1 ; and,

k is 1 to 2; m=1 to 5; n=1 to 5; r is 2 to 4; z is 0 to 2; with the proviso that if A is phosphorus, then k is 2;

at least one vulcanizable rubber selected from natural rubbers, synthetic polyisoprene rubbers, polyisobutylene rubbers, polybutadiene rubbers, and random styrene-butadiene rubbers (SBR); and

an active filler including at least one of active filler selected from carbon blacks, silicas, silicon based fillers, and metal oxides present in a combined amount of at least 35 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of total vulcanizable rubber, of which at least 10 parts by weight is carbon black, silica, or a combination thereof; and

wherein the tire composition is formulated to be vulcanizable to form a tire component compound having a Shore A Hardness of not less than 40 and not greater than 95 and a glass-transition temperature Tg (E″ max ) not less than −80° C. and not greater than 0° C.

2. The tire composition of claim 1 wherein Y is selected from

—C(═NR 1 )—; —SC(═NR 1 )—; —SC(═O)—; (—NR 1 )C(═O)—; (—NR 1 )C(═S)—; —OC(═O)—; —OC(═S)—; —C(═O)—; —SC(═S)—; —C(═S)—; —S(═O)—; —S(═O) 2 —; —OS(═O) 2 —; (—NR)S(═O) 2 —; —SS(═O)—; —OS(═O)—; (—NR 1 )S(═O)—; —SS(═O) 2 —; (—S) 2 P(═O)—; —(—S)P(═O)—; —P(═O)(—) 2 ; (—S) 2 P(═S)—; —(—S)P(═S)—; —P(═S)(—) 2 ; (—NR 1 ) 2 P(═O)—; (—NR)(—S)P(═O)—; (—O)(—NR 1 )P(═O)—; (—O)(—S)P(═O)—; (—O) 2 P(═O)—; —(—O)P(═O)—; —(—NR 1 )P(═O)—; (—NR 1 ) 2 P(═S)—; (—NR 1 )(—S)P(═S)—; (—O)(—NR 1 )P(═S)—; (—O)(—S)P(═S)—; (—O) 2 P(═S)—; —(—O)P(═S)—; and —(—NR 1 )P(═S)—.

3. The tire composition of claim 1 wherein X 1 is selected from methoxy, ethoxy, propoxy, isopropoxy, butoxy, phenoxy, benzyloxy, hydroxy, chloro and acetoxy, and X 2 and X 3 are each independently selected from methoxy, ethoxy, propoxy, isopropoxy, butoxy, phenoxy, benzyloxy, hydroxy, chloro and acetoxy, methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, sec-butyl, phenyl, vinyl, cyclohexyl, butyl, hexyl, octyl, lauryl and octadecyl.

4. The tire composition of claim 1 wherein G is a structure derivable from vinylnorbornene, vinylcyclohexene, limonene, or trivinylcyclohexane.

5. The tire composition of claim 1 wherein G is a structure derivable by trisubstitution of cyclopentane, tetrahydrocyclopentadiene, cyclohexane, cyclodecane, cyclododecane, any of the cyclododecenes, any of the cyclododecadienes, cycloheptane, any of the cycloheptenes or any of the cycloheptadienes; trisubstituted cyanurate, piperazine, cyclohexanone, or cyclohexenone.

6. The tire composition of claim 1 wherein G is a structure derivable from trisubstituted benzene, toluene, mestylene or naphthalene.

7. The tire composition of claim 1 wherein R is one of hydrogen, methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl, hexyl, 2-ethylhexyl, octyl, dodecyl, octadecyl, cyclohexyl, phenyl, benzyl, phenethyl, methallyl and allyl.

8. The tire composition of claim 1 wherein each occurrence of Q is independently selected from oxygen, sulfur and NR 1 , A is carbon, and E is independently selected from oxygen, sulfur or NR 1 .

9. The tire composition of claim 6 wherein Y is selected from —C(═NR)—, —SC(═NR)—, —NR 1 C(═NR 1 )—, —C(═O)—, —SC(═O)—, —OC(═O)—, —NR 1 C(═O)—, —C(═S)—, —NR 1 C(═S)— and —SC(═S)—.

10. The tire composition of claim 1 wherein Y is —C(═O)—.

11. The tire composition of claim 1 wherein m is 2-4 and n is 1-4.

12. The tire composition of claim 1 wherein each occurrence of the m is 2-4 and n is 2-4.

13. The tire composition of claim 1 wherein each occurrence of m is 2 and n is 2.

14. The tire composition of claim 1 wherein each occurrence of G is a substituted hydrocarbon containing at least one ring and from 1 to 18 carbon atoms.

15. The tire composition of claim 1 wherein each occurrence of G is selected from substituted cyclopentane, cyclohexane, cycloheptane, cyclooctane, cyclododecane and benzene.

16. The tire composition of claim 1 wherein each occurrence of R is selected from a straight chain alkyl group from 1 to 8 carbon atoms.

17. The tire composition of claim 1 wherein each occurrence of R is one of hydrogen, methyl, ethyl and propyl.

18. The tire composition of claim 1 wherein a sum of the carbon atoms within the R groups within the molecule is from 2 to 16.

19. The tire composition of claim 1 wherein each occurrence of G is selected from a trisubstituted cyclohexane or benzene, R is a straight chain alkyl group possessing from 1 to 8 carbon atoms, r=2 and m=1 or 2, and n=1 or 2.

20. The tire composition of claim 1 wherein the compound is any isomer of 1-(2-triethoxysilylethyl)-3,5-bis-(3-thia-4-oxopentyl)benzene, 1-(2-triethoxysilylethyl)-3,5-bis-(3-thia-4-oxohexyl)benzene, 1-(2-triethoxysilylethyl)-3,5-bis-(3-thia-4-oxoheptyl)benzene, 1-(2-tripropoxysilylmethyl)-3,5-bis-(3-thia-4-oxopentyl)benzene, 4-(2-triethoxysilylethyl)-1,2-bis-(2-thia-3-oxopentyl)benzene, 1-(2-diethoxymethylsilylethyl)-3,5-bis-(3-thia-4-oxopentyl)benzene, 4-(2-dimethylethoxysilylethyl)-1,2-bis-(3-thia-4-oxopentyl)benzene, 4-(2-triethoxysilylethyl)-1,2-bis-(2-thia-3-oxopentyl)cyclohexane, 1-(2-triethoxysilylethyl)-2,4-bis-(2-thia-3-oxopentyl)cyclohexane, 2-(2-triethoxysilylethyl)-1,4-bis-(2-thia-3-oxopentyl)cyclohexane, 4-(2-diethoxymethylsilylethyl)-1,2-bis-(3-thia-4-oxopentyl)cyclohexane, 4-(2-dimethylethoxysilylethyl)-1,2-bis-(3-thia-4-oxopentyl)cyclohexane, 4-(2-triethoxysilylethyl)-1,2-bis-(3-thia-4-oxohexyl)cyclohexane, 1-(2-triethoxysilylethyl)-2,4-bis-(3-thia-4-oxohexyl)cyclohexane, 2-(2-triethoxysilylethyl)-1,4-bis-(3-thia-4-oxohexyl)cyclohexane, 4-(2-triethoxysilylethyl)-1,2-bis-(3-thia-4-oxononyl)cyclohexane, 1-(2-triethoxysilylethyl)-2,4-bis-(3-thia-4-oxononyl)cyclohexane, 2-(2-triethoxysilylethyl)-1,4-bis-(3-thia-4-oxononyl)cyclohexane, 4-(2-triethoxysilylethyl)-1,2-bis-(3-thia-4-oxoundecyl)cyclohexane, 1-(2-triethoxysilylethyl)-2,4-bis-(3-thia-4-oxoundecyl)cyclohexane, 2-(2-triethoxysilylethyl)-1,4-bis-(3-thia-4-oxoundecyl)cyclohexane, 4-(2-dimethylethoxysilylethyl)-1,2-bis-(3-thia-4-oxododecyl)cyclohexane, 4-(2-triethoxysilylethyl)-1,2-bis-(3-thia-4-oxododecyl)cyclohexane, 4-(2-triethoxysilylethyl)-1,2-bis-(3-thia-4-oxo-5-aza-5-methyldodecyl)cyclohexane, (2-triethoxysilylethyl)-1,2-bis-(3,5-dithia-4-oxododecyl)cyclohexane, 1-(2-triethoxysilylethyl)-3,5-bis-(3-thia-4-oxopenyl)mesitylene and 6-(2-triethoxysilylpropyl)-2,2-bis-(3-thia-4-oxopentyl)cyclohexanone, and mixtures thereof.

21. The tire composition according to claim 1 wherein the active filler and the compound are combined to form a free flowing filler composition prior to combining with the at least one vulcanizable rubber.

22. The tire composition according to claim 1 further including a deblocking agent.

23. A tire at least one component of which comprises the cured tire composition obtained from the tire composition of claim 1 .

24. A tire tread which comprises a cured tire composition obtained from the tire composition of claim 1 .

25. A tire component comprising a cured tire composition obtained from the tire composition of claim 1 .

26. An uncured tire component comprising a tire composition obtained from the tire composition of claim 1 .