Method for preparing a masterbatch of diene elastomer and silica

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9284420-B2
Application number	US-201214350273-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 10, 2012
Priority date	Oct 11, 2011
Publication date	Mar 15, 2016
Grant date	Mar 15, 2016

Abstract

Preparation of a masterbatch of diene elastomer and silica including preparing at least one silica dispersion in water; bringing into contact and mixing an elastomer latex and the aqueous silica dispersion in the presence of a metal salt in order to obtain a coagulum; and recovering the coagulum and drying the recovered coagulum in order to obtain the masterbatch. The molar content of zinc cations, defined as the number of moles of zinc cations of the zinc salt per BET unit area of the silica, is between 1.19*10 −6 and 5.62*10 −6 mol/m 2 .

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for preparing a masterbatch of diene elastomer and silica comprising:
preparing at least one dispersion of silica in water,
bringing into contact and mixing an elastomer latex and the aqueous silica dispersion in the presence of an at least divalent zinc salt, thereby obtaining a coagulum,
recovering the coagulum,
drying the recovered coagulum, thereby obtaining a masterbatch;

wherein the molar content of zinc cations, defined as the number of moles of zinc cations of the zinc salt per unit of silica surface area, is between 1.19×10 −6 and 5.62×10 −6 mol/m 2 .

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least divalent zinc salt is added to the aqueous silica dispersion before the latter is brought into contact with the elastomer latex.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein recovering of the coagulum comprises filtering.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the recovering of the coagulum comprises centrifuging.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the diene elastomer latex is a natural rubber latex.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the natural rubber latex is a concentrated natural rubber latex.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the silica is a precipitated silica.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the silica present during the bringing of the two dispersions into contact is an amount between 20 phr and 150 phr, parts per hundred parts by weight of elastomer.

9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the silica present during the bringing of the two dispersions into contact is an amount between 30 phr and 100 phr.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the amount of silica present during the bringing of the two dispersions into contact is an amount between 30 phr and 90 phr.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the zinc salt is selected from the group consisting of zinc sulphates, zinc halides and zinc nitrates.

12. The method according to claim 11 wherein the zinc salt is an zinc sulphate.

13. The method according to claim 12 , further comprising adding an aqueous dispersion of coupling agent before or during the bringing the aqueous silica dispersion and the diene elastomer latex into contact.

14. A masterbatch of diene elastomer and silica prepared according to the method of claim 1 .

15. A rubber composition based on at least one masterbatch according to claim 14 .

16. A finished or semi-finished article comprising the rubber composition according to claim 15 .

17. A tire tread comprising the rubber composition according to claim 15 .

18. A tire or semi-finished product comprising at least one rubber composition according to claim 15 .

Assignees

• Michelin & Cie
• Michelin Rech Tech
• Michelin & Cie
• Michelin Rech Tech

Inventors

• De Gaudemaris Benoit
• Laffargue Geraldine
• Berriot Julien

Classifications

• C08K3/36

  Silica · CPC title

• C08J2421/02

  Latex · CPC title

• C08J3/226

  using a polymer as a carrier · CPC title

• C08J3/2053

  the additives only being premixed with a liquid phase · CPC title

• C08J2409/00

  Characterised by the use of homopolymers or copolymers of conjugated diene hydrocarbons · CPC title