Method of making a graft copolymer and rubber composition comprising such a graft copolymer

摘要

A method of making a graft copolymer is disclosed. The method comprising the steps of obtaining a first polymer comprising at least one carbon-carbon double bond, the first polymer being derived from at least one monomer, the at least one monomer comprising a conjugated diene monomer; polymerizing a second monomer in the presence of a thiocarbonylthio RAFT chain transfer agent to form a polymer comprising a terminal thiocarbonylthio group; cleaving the terminal thiocarbonylthio group to a thiol group to form the second polymer comprising a terminal thiol group; and reacting the second polymer with the first polymer to form a graft copolymer, the graft copolymer comprising a backbone derived from the first polymer and sidechains derived from the second polymer. Also, a respective rubber composition and its use in a tire is disclosed.