摘要 |
The invention relates to a rubber composition which contains silica reinforcement and functionalized crosslinks, particularly crosslinked functionalized precipitated silica, including sulfur crosslinked functionalized silica and associated cured rubber compositions, and to articles of manufacture having a component thereof such as, for example tires. A dimercaptothiadiazole is used to form the crosslinked network within the rubber composition. The mercapto moieties of said dimercaptothiadiazole are desirably protected from prematurely reacting with, for example, diene-based elastomers and sulfur-containing silica coupling agents by pre-reaction with an aromatic carboxylic acid chloride or by reacting in situ with an aromatic carboxylic acid |